You might be surprised to know that Paul McCartney recorded the all-out blaster 'I'm Down' the same day he recorded the subtle classic 'Yesterday'. Talk about switching moods.. Really enjoying your journey listening to the albums chronologically!
Speaks to the greatness of the Beatles; both John and Paul were entirely adept at both screaming rock vocals, and more sensitive, melodic sounds. The gorgeous, unique harmonies that they built were pretty incredible, considering how little formal training they had. I mean, these guys were doing 6th's and M7th's, the Dan's major mu (which I call a 2) WAY before anyone else in pop. Even Brian Wilson.
Yes It Is has always been one of my favorite Beatles songs. I absolutely love the harmonies and will sing along changing which voice I sing with every time.
Fun Fact: "I'm Down "was recorded on June 14, 1965 (just 4 days shy of Paul's 23rd birthday). That day, Paul recorded the vocals for "I've just seen a face", followed by "I'm Down" and at the end of the day, Paul recorded "Yesterday". I've always been amazed by the fact that Paul had enough voice left to record "Yesterday" after recording "I'm Down".....
WHERE WAS I??? WHY WAS I NOT IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED OF THIS??? Caroline's journey through The Beatles is so geniune. She just reminds us of our own joy in hearing some of the greatest songs ever written for the first time😀😀😀
LOL You made me laugh Cleon! I like to post videos at different times of the day to give everyone a chance to see them live at some point :) Look forward to listening to the next albums!
Can you tell me----I have my own theory----why the whole world prefers to listen to the Beatles' retirement years after 1967 as their great material, while the musical theory, so miraculously displayed, they showed they understood by instinct, is played down and uninteresting?
Caroline: yes indeed the Beatles experiment with sounds coming up and they far exceed your expectations. This is about the last album before they depart from their classic sound and start doing a new sound with nearly every song.
Anyone else have the same reaction as me when Caroline said 'I wonder if as technology improved they got more ambitious in terms of sound design'. She's in for a shock over the next few albums!
I'm watching her vids in reverse order, so it is neat to see her earlier impressions now. I wonder if it is actually technology, or just a group taking available tech and putting it thru a new application? (I am wondering this-not stating that this is the case)
The sound on "Yes It Is" may be a fairly clean electric guitar played through a volume pedal to create a slow attack not unlike a violin or other bowed instrument. Let’s also note that there are other ways to manipulate volume in a guitar signal chain. With any of these techniques, the basic idea is to pluck the note with volume all the way down and increase volume to catch it as it fades out. You'll also notice that this technique will often bring notes in a bit late (as you noted in "I Need You.") . Some guitars make this possible with one's hands, depending on the part because all electric guitars have a passive volume control that's sometimes reachable with the picking hand's pinky. If you haven't already, look for "Bad Boy" - another late rocker cover (they stopped doing covers after 1965) that is much better than the ones on "With" or "For Sale| IMO, which often paled against the Stones or Who in terms of really rocking because the bass or drums were mixed too low. If you listen in mono, it will typically be much better but that's not always the case.
Oh, that's right, "Bad Boy" is a recording from the Help! sessions that stayed on the shelf for quite a while (except in America) until it came out on "A Collection of Beatles Oldies" in December 1966, so it was incongruously released in the UK after "Revolver" had changed everything.
There are photos from this period of George seated playing his Gretsch with John hunched before him manipulating the volume pot. The pots on Gretsch guitars are all over the place...not ideal for the "violining" technique that is so easy on eg a Strat with a universal vol pot close to the strings. The pics suggest that John did the violining for George..team effort.
I read in a couple of places the technology you're mentioning didn't yet exist, but for this song John sat on the floor in front of George and turned the volume control on the guitar up and down, to remove the initial attack of each note, thus the same effect. The technology came later. The creativity of even the very early Beatles continues to amaze.
"I'm Down" went down really well at the Beatles' 1965 concerts. It drove the audiences into an absolute frenzy, and John played the electric organ with his elbows. There's a video out there of them performing the song to a packed audience (somewhere between 50,000 - 70,000 people, most of them screaming teenagers) at New York City's old Shea (baseball) Stadium in August, 1965. The audience was NUTS, and the Beatles loved the chaos erupting in the stands. Interesting note: the Beatles recorded "I'm Down" on the same day they also recorded "Yesterday," which just highlights Paul McCartney's incredible versatility.
I was just about to comment on that Shea Stadium live version. You explained it perfectly. It was wild and chaos. The Beatles were playing, laughing and couldn't even hear themselves but they some how managed to put on an awesome show, even though many of the girls watching it likely passed out, LOL.
Interestingly, the well-known live versions of 'Im down' are not all that good (the best is probably still that of the Blackpool TV show) and never match the power of other rockers such as "Twist and shout", "Long tall" Sally ", or" She's a woman". One notices the signs of wear and tear of the "Beatlemania" as early as the 1965 concerts.
@@braudabo I don't know man, the Shea Stadium version is pretty kick ass. Paul is in top form, John is literally tearing that Vox keyboard up (he broke two keys on it that night), and if they had better amplification to drown out the crowd it would have torn the house down. They just didn't have the juice at the time.
The video of them performing “I’m Down” at Shea Stadium is *definitely* worth a watch-it was their last song of the night, and the looks on their faces as they perform, taking in the 55,000+ screaming fans, it’s just priceless. They can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all-and when you watch, you can’t help but laugh with them.
John called 'Yes It Is' a rewrite of 'This Boy'. In other words, he didn't think much of it. I think it's great. 'I'm Down' was their attempt at trying to write a 'Long Tall Sally'-type vehicle for Paul to do his Little Richard imitation. Neither song ever seems to rank very high on anyone's list of Beatle songs, and yet other groups would have given their right arms to have songs like these in their catalogs.
He was the worst judge of the worth of his own songs. This is a great song, far better than This Boy in my estimation. On the other side he thought Across the Universe was one of his best - not in the top 20 for me.
Both "Yes It Is" and "I'm Down" are 5-star masterpieces and should have been on the "Help!" album in place of, say, "Tell Me What You See" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy".
@@spiritof6663 Not so sure of these songs being taken away from being B sides. The Beatles singles were always good value, unlike most artists, with the flipside often as good as the A side. Just look at the great B sides they put out from This boy to Rain to Old brown shoe.
@@billythedog-309 They could still be B-sides *and* be on the album as well. That was already the practice in America and while the whole "value for money" thing the Brits practiced was cool for the time, in retrospect the legacy of their albums is what matters most.
It's a volume pedal. On 'I Need You' John actually turned the volume knob on George's guitar while he played. I heard him talk about doing that in an interview.
I Need You, I wondered about that effect, imagined George was working the pot with his pinkie. The pedal might be a Vox model which presaged the Wah-wah.
They played I'm Down live at Shea Stadium!!! Lennon does the piano slides with his elbow!!! Watch their Shea Stadium or anything live Caroline!!! They're gonna stop performing live soon. Be interesting to see your reaction to them live and then becoming a total studio band😀😀😀
It was a cheesy Vox Continental organ, not a piano. A lot of bands used them during that time. Eventually (and thankfully) most bands discovered the Hammond organ/Leslie speaker combination.
I love the performance of Im down at Shea Stadium-- you can see how much they loved performing together. It's not 'perfect' musically, but its pretty perfect in how Beatle like it is- showing talent, fun, youth and friendship.
That instrument you're hearing is electric guitar; the effect is achieved by striking the note while the volume is off, then opening the volume. Results in a sound more like a bowed instrument, or a synth. It's done either with the hand on the volume control on the guitar, or a volume foot-pedal. A "tone pedal" is a wah-wah, that differentiates not in volume, but between bass and treble. Re Bingo: Beginning with Rubber Soul, you might want to add sitar to your bingo board. Also, a square for any tune, or section of; not in 4/4, or for unusual key changes, or for melodies in unusual modes. (lydian, dorian, etc See YT David Bennet-piano) That will attract all of us music geeks. All that said, I'd like to jump in and let folks know that what's called a "tremelo" arm on an electric guitar is not at all "tremelo", it's vibrato. Vibrato changes pitch, tremelo changes volume.
Yes indeed regarding the guitar. Other comment by David & Julie about George using a tone pedal may indeed be accurate as well...I'm not sure. But I am almost positive he is turning the volume knob... have done this myself. And yes, it is in "I need You" as well.
And that's also the effect heard in "I Need You", that Caroline noticed it hit a little bit after the tempo when Georg sang "Need" and "You"; probably, the attack was on tempo and the volume opened immediatly after.
I think the effect was used mainly in country western music of the time, though no specific songs come to mind at the moment. I'm thinking along the lines of Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry". Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline come to mind as well.
I'd say adding a bingo square for key changes or otherwise uncommon chord usage would be very appropriate for the Beatles, since they really pushed the boat out with that. Would've been a popular square for songs off A Hard Day's Night!
CAROLINE!!!!!! As a 58 yr old American Beatles fan, your channel is a pure delight for me! I got tired of all of the so-called reaction channels in which everyone reacted to all the same stuff with seemingly set reactions. You my Dear are a breath of fresh air! Your reactions to their songs are real, not phony. Also I like that you will say that you really did not care for a particular song. That is how I know that your reactions are honest. And man are you talented! You have a beautiful voice and you are so knowledgeable musically. Obviously you have had a great schooling in music . I am gonna have to get your autograph before you become a really big star!
When you get a chance Caroline you need to watch them play I’m Down at the Shea Stadium concert. They seriously rock this number, and John about goes all Jerry Lee Lewis on the keyboard playing it with his elbows and tearing it up - literally! He broke two keys on it while just about destroying the thing! It’s so awesome to watch!
@phillydisco They hooked up the sound to the stadium load speaker. It's one of the few concerts they can actually hear themselves. Girls were making a dash for them constantly through the concert. Security were tackling them rugby style. It's a great concert to watch. It's not the best quality, but it's so crazy. There is a good cut on one of the anthology videos. I think 5, possibly 4 but you can watch the whole thing here on RUclips. .
The 3-part harmonies on "Yes It Is" have always reminded me of "This Boy". Perfect blend of John,Paul and George. On "I'm Down", Paul showcases his Little Richard vocal skills ala' "Lucille" and "Tooti Frutti". Paul can sing any style in my opinion.
"Yes It Is" is my favorite Beatles song for harmony. They're not just singing parallel thirds (like Nowhere Man) but are really doing some interesting stuff.
What has to be remembered here as well, is the Beatles did all this while the technology was pretty poor. These days you can get everything you need on a PC, back then everything was from scratch. Also, again what I love about then is the diversity. Normally you get a singer or band and that's it, but the beatles covered every genre and along with some funny tongue in cheek songs (Piggies 1 of many) they could make you teary and laughing all on 1 album. Genius
their early success enabled them to have unlimited finances and access to studio time and instrumentation. they were using the absolute best at the time... no budget...
@@RichusRkr But the best budget back in the 60s was the equivalent to a mobile phone today. 4/8 track, no feed back whilst on stage, no pc to help make sounds. For example certain songs would have been impossible to do live back in the 60s, but now would be easy with just a pc and a speaker. The technology back then was bad compared to what's on offer today for little money
Yeah Beatles Bingo is good. The insights you are giving on each track are giving me a whole new level of appreciation for these songs I've known for over 45 years. Thank You
"I'm Down" is just a fun one-off. Check out the Beatles live performances in the summer of 1965 to see John Lennon using his elbows to play the harmonium!
Yes It Is is a (kind of less known) Lennon / Harrison masterpiece for the time. Lennon's writing and vocals and George's unique guitar, I'm Down is simply one of Paul's best jobs of just rockin' out Oh and you may have gotten a Yeah yeah yeah about 6 seconds before the end of Im Down
Love Beatles bingo, more please. In the Coming years the Beatles will not benefit from the technological advancement of recording so much as they’ll advance it many of the techniques for recording their music on future albums they had to invent as they went
The sound you puzzled over at the start of Yes It Is is George's electric guitar being "violined"...George plays the notes. John manipulated the volume pot to make the notes bloom and swell. Beach Boy vibes you definitely ARE getting from I'm Down. They were fans. I loved the fun you derived from this classic rock track. Even more fun is the live footage of them performing this song at Shea Stadium. Its wild and they crack up laughing a few times. Truly recommended
@@scottandrewbrass1931 Oh. Oh dear. Oh well I bet you're glad there's a skip button so you can pass the nasty song by then 🙂 But you're correct. They'd been doing Long Tall Sally since the beginning of time and were beginning to look for an alternative for their live shows so Paul came up with this. The Beach Boys reference is in John and George's harmonies which towards the end of the song are densely multitracked with additional harmonies including an authentic sounding bass part, sung by Lennon in the style of Mike Love (of the Beach Boys...an affectionate tribute they would repeat 3 years later in the Back In The USSR sessions). The fact that this rocker was recorded during the same recording as Yesterday speaks volumes for their great versatility. Only a dick would go around poo-pooing their sense of fun and ability to rock n roll. They were rocking harder than most bands back in '62 imo (and I do stress...IMO) The Star Club performance of Long Tall Sally left me slack jawed when I first heard it.
After Rubber Soul is when McCartney really begins to top Lennon in the songwriting. Revolver is my fav album because it sounds very different from everything they did before. When Tomorrow Never Know came out nobody had ever heard the sounds from that song before. It actually shocked people because they didn't even know how to take it in. They didn't know what to make of it whether if it was good or bad. It actually frightened some people just as Strawberry Fields did. That was because the tape loops created sounds that no humans had ever heard before and when a sound is isolated and played back at different speeds it looses its identity and it sounds alarming and disturbing.
Regarding technology, it's worth understanding what they were up against. The first two LPs were recorded on two-track tape machines. After that they graduated to four-track, which they used until The White Album in 1968, when they moved to eight-track. And we're talking about mono tracks here. So, for most of their recording career, if they needed more than four tracks for a song, they had to "bounce" the first four-track tape onto a second tape, mixing it down to (usually, I think) just one mono track, so that further tracks could be recorded on the second tape. The sometimes rather odd choices in the stereo mixes are often down to this limitation. It's certainly worth bearing in mind when you get to Revolver and Sgt Pepper that they were made using four-track machines. It's only recently that digital technology has made it possible to accurately synch up the tracks on the first four-track tape with the extra tracks added on the second "bounced" tape (assuming both tapes still exist), thus creating a new multitrack master, where all of the tracks are first-generation quality, and all can be individually controlled when mixing. The new stereo remix of Sgt Pepper from 2017 was made in this way.
Fascinating to watch Caroline and another young girl who is doing videos of 'first listens'.to the Beatles. The Beatles' masterpieces never get old, kids.
I say we call that a Bingo and you give us a beautiful rendition of "And I Love Her." I, for one, would love to hear that. I think you could do it justice. Peace
@@roberthughes4129 Don't be ridiculous. MMT isn't an album but a compilation EP. The songs on it are wonderful but remember Penny Lane and Strawberry fields were recorded for SGPeps but went out as singles because the record label was demanding them. The two songs were recorded during the SGTPeps sessions. MMT is one of my fav Beatles listens but remember an album is a concept within itself and SGTpeps was a folly live band headed by Billy Shears and it is a complete masterpiece in every way you could imagine. New sounds never heard before, the first ever concept album with some really different arrangements. It would of been even greater if Penny Lane and SGTpeps was on it but even without nobody has done a better album.
@@MICKEYISLOWD wow I remember where the album come out I'm that old i sure hope she reviews it I sure you know that Hey Jude was recorded doing The White Album
It's another pointer to the Beatles' greatness that an album of B sides would probably sneak into an all-time top 1000 LPs. B sides for many bands in the early sixties were throwaways that didn't even make it as filler on an LP but The Beatles were so prolific (and good) that some singles were released as double A sides and 'Rain' is, of course, possibly the best B side ever made. Keep remembering the singles, Caroline. That's where much of the gold is.
Okay I'm absolutely loving these series every time more, as a huge Beatles fan myself I totally enjoy watching your reactions to their catalogue, reminds me of my own, and so wise to do it chronologically Speaking of which, there's another song you should check out too, it's called 'Bad Boy' written by Larry Williams, recorded during the Help album sessions the same day as 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy' (both Williams song, covered as a tribute), they were originally planned for release in the USA only, but ended up including 'DML' in the Help album, while 'Bad Boy' remained unpublished in the UK until it appeared in a compilation and afterwards in the singles album; I hope you can listen to it in the next video so it can catch up with its time (early 65), Lennon's voice totally rocks in that one too
Oh, Caroline. You should have started the bingo game with the second or third album! Definitely bring bingo back for the next album, because after that they stop digging into their usual bag of tricks (although double tracked vocals -- using ADT -- is pretty much a standard thing going forward.)
Love your enthusiasm. Reminds me of my younger self when I first heard these songs on the radio and ran to the record store to buy them. John later said that Yes It Is was a weak attempt to recreate the three part harmony of This Boy. But I always loved the song and it's fun to sing. Love that guitar sound as well. Carry on, you look like you're having a wonderful time.
You mentioned doubling the voice, as opposed to harmonizing. John loved to double his voice so much that Abbey Road engineer Geoff Emerick invented a way to automate voice doubling, called Artificial (or sometimes called Automatic) Double Tracking (ADT), which became widely adopted in the recording industry. Of course, its simple with digital technology, but back in those days ADT was a very clever analog trick.
@@analogblues , she probably thinks screaming like that is a dime a dozen, but in reality, I can count on one hand how many singers can scream like that. I'm not too shabby myself.
Somebody posted this on a Beatles FB group today. Sharing for everyone's general edification! At the end of day 16th February, 1965, from 7 to 10 pm, The Beatles recorded all of the overdubs needed to complete the song Yes It Is. The first step was for George to overdub the chords of the song onto 'track two' of the tape with his Gretsch electric guitar using a foot-controlled volume pedal, the same device he had used that same day as an overdub on "I Need You." This device was connected to the volume of the guitar to create swells of volume after the chord or note was played. When the pedal is used in connection with the tone of the guitar, as by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Cream, the result became what was famously referred to as a wah-wah pedal. Then, onto 'track three," the excellent three-part harmony was perfected. John, Paul and George first had to get the harmonies down and rehearse them, which they did with the help of producer George Martin. "They always experimented with close harmony singing," Martin explains, "all I did was change the odd note." It appears that many odd notes were changed in this arrangement because these harmonies lifted and dove in ways that no other Beatles harmonies had done. Enjoy that wonderful song from Past Masters. In the comments, version from Anthology 2, where George Martin realized the stark beauty of the song as heard on the original "take two" as recorded on February 16th, 1965 with John's guide vocal accompanying the simple rhythm track. Just before John breaks his guitar string during the bridge, Martin fades in the last half of the finished "take 14" with the excellently performed vocal harmony overdub.
You're musical adventure of listening to the Beatles is about to take a drastic turn with Rubber Soul, and I'm excited to watch you experience it. Revolver is my favorite album of all time!
You have heard that guitar sound before! Remember George’s song from Help called “I Need You,” with the out-of-time guitar effect? It’s the same thing as in “Yes It Is”-a volume pedal.
Hey Caroline good video! always enjoy these! I'm not really a fan of the bingo square, i feel like it takes away from the overall experience and since the beatles' sound changes drastically from 1966 onward i feel like the things you would predict wouldnt really be applicable to the albums you have yet to react to. Thanks for the great content nonetheless! Can't wait for the next few albums!
Yes, I agree that while Bingo seems like a fun idea, in practice it tends to interrupt the flow of hearing the music and letting us see Caroline's delightful reactions.
That’s a wah wah pedal on the guitar on “Yes It Is”. George also used it on “I Need You” and “It’s Only Love”. It became more mainstream in a couple of years. George wrote a song called “Wah Wah” a few years later that ended up on his “All Things Must Pass” album.
The two singles from the Help album were the title track and “Ticket to Ride”. “I’m Down” was the B side of the former, while “Yes It Is” was the B side of the latter.
@@fewwiggle I would certainly think the B sides count, yes! I think what Sam means is that a single was literally one small vinyl record with a song on one side that was considered "the" single...as in the song they were showcasing. It was called the "A-side", and the back side was, in many cases, just considered an after-thought, or a space for a less impressive song. Some B-sides of singles have been amazing for sure, by the Beatles and by other bands, but you'd never have a B-side considered a single in its own right. If you're over 54 like me you can disregard all this as you likely already know!! lol
@@anthonytonycorso7550 Actually, the B-Side of records was considered a "Single" in its own right (by chart makers) and sometimes charted better than the A-Side.
From a 61 year old Beatle nut from Liverpool (raised near John and Pauls houses) It’s great to watch you ‘dissect’ the classic Beatles tunes. Subbed you 👍🇬🇧
@@CallMeCaroline It's the same effect that was used on "I Need You" (the George song from the "Help!" album). The effect is more prominent -- and slightly jarring -- on that song.
@@CallMeCaroline The reversing-the-tape thing wouldn't come in until the Revolver album. But volume pedal back then was new in the pop world, although it was known in country music. If you're interested, guitarist Steve Howe of the band Yes was a master of using the volume pedal.
I am enjoying this series immensely! In the U.S., both of these songs were B-sides. Yes It Is was the B-side of Ticket to Ride, and I'm Down was the B-side of Help.
The bingo is a fun idea. Right now you're kinda in no man's land between the old Beatles and the new Beatles which will make the game real interesting. For Sgt Pepper, it's not just orchestral instruments but how many different instruments you might hear.
My parents had to listen to their fair share of Beatles and the dissonance in Yes It Is is the only thing that hurt my mother’s ears. And she had to let me know. 😄 Moving forward now, the Beatles will be experimenting (with everything). Thanks for what you’re doing!
The non-albums singles are an important part of The Beatles career, great that you're covering them too. Just a little heads-up, for the Magical Mystery Tour singles, just do the album not the singles, since it's considered part of the canon albums now. Thanks for ending my Sunday on a good note :)
I do think penny lane and strawberry fields should be listened to before or with Sgt Pepper because that’s when it was recorded and released originally
@@erikd16 It never dawned on me back in the 70s when I started collecting Beatles albums that those 2 songs came out first. I think I first heard about it when the Anthology came out in the early 90s. I collected mostly all the American version albums but with a few imports and some bootlegs. It was weird when I started to listen to some of the British versions because I was like one song doesn't go well after after the previous song. It was implanted in my brain which songs followed each other on the albums I had. I even blew the mind of one of my friends who never heard about some of the bootlegs I had and showed him that I had a bunch of songs from the Anthology almost 20 years before the Anthology came out!
@@marcoforni8480 Wow! That's cool. That is one of the songs I didn't have on any bootleg or ever heard before The BBC CD came out. It was my favorite unheard song on The BBC .
@@RayRay-zt7bj that’s super interesting! it’s weird for me to listen to penny lane strawberry fields before sgt pepper too. But it enhances the experience for me to know that that is how the audiences originally heard it. I recently changed my music library sequencing to reflect the EP version of MMT. With your mother should know being track 2 and walrus being track 3 and so on. I did it when I learned the Beatles hated the American version of MMT when it was released. It’s so weird to hear them in that order now!!
I'm enjoying this series so much, really cool to find your channel! edit: I went to the kitchen to get some coffee, I realized I was with a big smile in my face. Your videos are contagious! XD
Love the Beatles Bingo idea! Can't wait to see what we will get with "Rubber Soul" coming up next! Some info on these two songs: -The guitar effect on "Yes it is" is a made with a volume pedal. George is fading the sound in once he has played the note or the chord. He did the same for his song "I Need You" on the "Help!" album. -McCartney (and Lennon) wrote "I'm Down" to have a rocker to play at the end of their shows, to replace "Long Tall Sally" they had been playing the years before. Just some info from a lifetime Beatles fan who played in a Beatles band way back in the 80's! :) Keep on the great work, Caroline! It's fantastic to rediscover those songs I've known forever through your young and fresh ears! Thank you! :)
Their performance of "I'm Down" at Shea Stadium is a must-see. During it, when Paul is singing, "How can you laugh, when you know I'm down?" John and George start cracking up laughing.
You should listen to "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out" before Rubber Soul. They were released on the same day, but the single seems better as a preface to the album rather than as an ending
The Beatles played I'm Down during the famous Shea Stadium concert in 1965 as the closing song of the show. It is fun to watch them having so much fun!! (These two songs were actually B-sides. Yes It Is was the B-side of Ticket To Ride and I'm Down was the B-side of Help!)
This was amazing and the Bingo was such a fun idea! I vote that, in the spirit of The Beatles, we throw out all of the rules of Bingo and vote for a song anyway! I would love for you to cover "If I Fell" from A Hard Days' Night :D
In a sort of way "I'm Down" is Paul's unique way of doing his very own Little Richard song (without having to cover Little Richard). It served, at that time, as the newest show closer. It served this purpose very well.
So true. But she's right too when she says there are some Beach Boys vibes on the backing vocals. It's the "Little Richard goes to California" number, lol
Absolutely, she's right! Very perceptive too. But, down the road, I'm thinking "Paperback Writer" and "Back in the USSR" for two examples, Paul goes very much more Beach Boys on us!!!!
One of the ways I worked out which songs were Lennon songs and which were McCartney's was how they differ sonically - McCartney songs have a lot more movement in them, while Lennon's songs are a often 'flatter'; so it was interesting to hear you pick up on this. Also, once you get more in tune with the drumming, we need Ringo Bingo :)
In general this _is_ true, but this would not be accurate when applied to these two songs in particular. "Yes It Is" is quite melodically vertical, more McCartney-an; the static vocal line she attributed to Lennon was probably Harrison, with McCartney on top. Lennon's vocal line throughout the song (the melody line) is more jumpy.
You can appreciate on the first listening of a Beatles' song what escapes most listeners who have heard it 100+ times. Also, you bring a new appreciation to fans who have been listening for decades...I especially love it when you are going to hear one of my favorite Beatle tracks like "I've Just Seen A Face" etc. for the first time and get to watch your mind explode...Keep doing what you're doing. I so look forward to hearing/seeing each new video. Thank you!
John never talked positively about his Beatles work, especially after they broke up. Obviously there are exceptions, but he wasn’t very nice to himself or the others music.
This Boy wasn't from A Hard Days Night. It was The B side to I Want To Hold Your Hand. Though an instrumental version called Ringo's Theme was in the film.
You've got to see 'I'm Down' performed at the Shea Stadium concert. They are having so much fun. When John does his elbow run on the organ, Paul cracks up with laughter. Indeed, George can hardly control his laughter too when John speeds back to the mike to do the duet with George. I think you can see this on a RUclips clip.
So next up is Rubber Soul and it’s single, Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out. BUT there’s also “Bad Boy”, which was recorded during Help! for one if the American albums, so don’t leave that one out! I love this series, the bingo is clever, and you’re lovely.
Well done again for a great review. Yes it Is Is one of their most enthralling songs, it is a beautifully rendered tortured ballad. The guitar effect was created by John adjusting the volume of George's guitar, phasing it in and out in real time, as it was being recorded, as far as I'm aware. I'm loving these reviews, thank you.
The live performance of I’m Down at Shea Stadium is probably the most fun and upbeat you’ll ever see the entire band, particularly John. I’d highly recommend you watch it!
I totally agree - I cannot watch I'm Down at Shea Stadium without having a big smile on my face. They were having so much fun you can't help but laugh with them some
Interestingly, the well-known live versions of 'Im down' are not all that good (the best is probably still that of the Blackpool TV show) and never match the power of other rockers such as "Twist and shout", "Long tall" Sally ", or" She's a woman ". One notices the signs of wear and tear of the "Beatlemania" as early as the 1965 concerts.
Caroline, please keep in mind that The Beatles were producing all this music with just four track tape recording technology and its limitations, up to and including the Sargent Pepper album. This is what speaks to the absolute genius of George Martin and his people at Abbey Road.
In "I'm Down" Paul McCartney sings in the style of Little Richard --- who taught him to sing like that in person --- as Paul already did in in "Kansas City" (album Beatles for sale). "Yes it is" is a superb three-part harmony piece. The Beatles were very good at that, already in the early sixties, both in performing ("This boy") and composing ("If I fell"). Harmony was an important element of popular music in the sixties. Other succesful bands excelling at harmony --- both influenced by AND influencing the Beatles --- include The Byrds, The Beach Boys and The Hollies. In parallel to The Beatles also these bands went through an evolution from simple rock-and-roll to more sophisticated forms of music. But the way was led by The Beatles.
You might be surprised to know that Paul McCartney recorded the all-out blaster 'I'm Down' the same day he recorded the subtle classic 'Yesterday'. Talk about switching moods.. Really enjoying your journey listening to the albums chronologically!
Add : It’s also the day he fronted the band recorded I’ve Just Seen a Face. Three classics. Three completely different kind of songs.
And I've Just Seen a Farce. (Joke) 3 songs, completely different genres and vocal approach. Amazing!
Speaks to the greatness of the Beatles; both John and Paul were entirely adept at both screaming rock vocals, and more sensitive, melodic sounds. The gorgeous, unique harmonies that they built were pretty incredible, considering how little formal training they had. I mean, these guys were doing 6th's and M7th's, the Dan's major mu (which I call a 2) WAY before anyone else in pop. Even Brian Wilson.
Both sad songs though.
You make my day.
Yes It Is has always been one of my favorite Beatles songs. I absolutely love the harmonies and will sing along changing which voice I sing with every time.
ME TOO.
Fun Fact: "I'm Down "was recorded on June 14, 1965 (just 4 days shy of Paul's 23rd birthday). That day, Paul recorded the vocals for "I've just seen a face", followed by "I'm Down" and at the end of the day, Paul recorded "Yesterday". I've always been amazed by the fact that Paul had enough voice left to record "Yesterday" after recording "I'm Down".....
WHERE WAS I??? WHY WAS I NOT IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED OF THIS??? Caroline's journey through The Beatles is so geniune. She just reminds us of our own joy in hearing some of the greatest songs ever written for the first time😀😀😀
LOL You made me laugh Cleon! I like to post videos at different times of the day to give everyone a chance to see them live at some point :)
Look forward to listening to the next albums!
@@CallMeCaroline I just started listening to Sia a few months ago and my mind is completely blown!!! Do you like Sia? Just curious
@@cleonmagabeefy8473 I really like her This is Acting Album
Can you tell me----I have my own theory----why the whole world prefers to listen to the Beatles' retirement years after 1967 as their great material, while the musical theory, so miraculously displayed, they showed they understood by instinct, is played down and uninteresting?
Caroline: yes indeed the Beatles experiment with sounds coming up and they far exceed your expectations. This is about the last album before they depart from their classic sound and start doing a new sound with nearly every song.
Anyone else have the same reaction as me when Caroline said 'I wonder if as technology improved they got more ambitious in terms of sound design'. She's in for a shock over the next few albums!
Prescience in retrospect!
I'm watching her vids in reverse order, so it is neat to see her earlier impressions now.
I wonder if it is actually technology, or just a group taking available tech and putting it thru a new application? (I am wondering this-not stating that this is the case)
The sound on "Yes It Is" may be a fairly clean electric guitar played through a volume pedal to create a slow attack not unlike a violin or other bowed instrument. Let’s also note that there are other ways to manipulate volume in a guitar signal chain. With any of these techniques, the basic idea is to pluck the note with volume all the way down and increase volume to catch it as it fades out. You'll also notice that this technique will often bring notes in a bit late (as you noted in "I Need You.") . Some guitars make this possible with one's hands, depending on the part because all electric guitars have a passive volume control that's sometimes reachable with the picking hand's pinky.
If you haven't already, look for "Bad Boy" - another late rocker cover (they stopped doing covers after 1965) that is much better than the ones on "With" or "For Sale| IMO, which often paled against the Stones or Who in terms of really rocking because the bass or drums were mixed too low. If you listen in mono, it will typically be much better but that's not always the case.
Oh, that's right, "Bad Boy" is a recording from the Help! sessions that stayed on the shelf for quite a while (except in America) until it came out on "A Collection of Beatles Oldies" in December 1966, so it was incongruously released in the UK after "Revolver" had changed everything.
There are photos from this period of George seated playing his Gretsch with John hunched before him manipulating the volume pot. The pots on Gretsch guitars are all over the place...not ideal for the "violining" technique that is so easy on eg a Strat with a universal vol pot close to the strings. The pics suggest that John did the violining for George..team effort.
Yep. Same technique was used on "I Need You", although George may have just rolled the volume knob with a finger.
For a "modern" version of the same technique there's Van Halen's "Cathedral" on the album DIVER DOWN.
I read in a couple of places the technology you're mentioning didn't yet exist, but for this song John sat on the floor in front of George and turned the volume control on the guitar up and down, to remove the initial attack of each note, thus the same effect. The technology came later. The creativity of even the very early Beatles continues to amaze.
"I'm Down" went down really well at the Beatles' 1965 concerts. It drove the audiences into an absolute frenzy, and John played the electric organ with his elbows. There's a video out there of them performing the song to a packed audience (somewhere between 50,000 - 70,000 people, most of them screaming teenagers) at New York City's old Shea (baseball) Stadium in August, 1965. The audience was NUTS, and the Beatles loved the chaos erupting in the stands. Interesting note: the Beatles recorded "I'm Down" on the same day they also recorded "Yesterday," which just highlights Paul McCartney's incredible versatility.
I was just about to comment on that Shea Stadium live version. You explained it perfectly. It was wild and chaos. The Beatles were playing, laughing and couldn't even hear themselves but they some how managed to put on an awesome show, even though many of the girls watching it likely passed out, LOL.
Interestingly, the well-known live versions of 'Im down' are not all that good (the best is probably still that of the Blackpool TV show) and never match the power of other rockers such as "Twist and shout", "Long tall" Sally ", or" She's a woman". One notices the signs of wear and tear of the "Beatlemania" as early as the 1965 concerts.
@@braudabo I don't know man, the Shea Stadium version is pretty kick ass. Paul is in top form, John is literally tearing that Vox keyboard up (he broke two keys on it that night), and if they had better amplification to drown out the crowd it would have torn the house down. They just didn't have the juice at the time.
The video of them performing “I’m Down” at Shea Stadium is *definitely* worth a watch-it was their last song of the night, and the looks on their faces as they perform, taking in the 55,000+ screaming fans, it’s just priceless. They can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all-and when you watch, you can’t help but laugh with them.
Yes, he did that at Shea, I watched him through binoculars.
John called 'Yes It Is' a rewrite of 'This Boy'. In other words, he didn't think much of it. I think it's great.
'I'm Down' was their attempt at trying to write a 'Long Tall Sally'-type vehicle for Paul to do his Little Richard imitation.
Neither song ever seems to rank very high on anyone's list of Beatle songs, and yet other groups would have given their right arms to have songs like these in their catalogs.
He was the worst judge of the worth of his own songs. This is a great song, far better than This Boy in my estimation. On the other side he thought Across the Universe was one of his best - not in the top 20 for me.
Both "Yes It Is" and "I'm Down" are 5-star masterpieces and should have been on the "Help!" album in place of, say, "Tell Me What You See" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy".
I think I’m Down is one of their most underrated songs
@@spiritof6663 Not so sure of these songs being taken away from being B sides. The Beatles singles were always good value, unlike most artists, with the flipside often as good as the A side. Just look at the great B sides they put out from This boy to Rain to Old brown shoe.
@@billythedog-309 They could still be B-sides *and* be on the album as well. That was already the practice in America and while the whole "value for money" thing the Brits practiced was cool for the time, in retrospect the legacy of their albums is what matters most.
With all of Paul's screaming, it's amazing that the next recording they did that same afternoon was Yesterday.
That instrument is George using a tone pedal on his guitar - pretty new at the time. He also used it on his composition "I Need You' on the Help LP.
It's a volume pedal. On 'I Need You' John actually turned the volume knob on George's guitar while he played. I heard him talk about doing that in an interview.
Volume pedal not tone pedal
I Need You, I wondered about that effect, imagined George was working the pot with his pinkie. The pedal might be a Vox model which presaged the Wah-wah.
Come on all you people .. the guitar sound is an effect called "Halo" which was a setting on a Watkins Copycat echo machine.
Paul recorded the vocals for "I'm Down" the same day (14 June 1965) that he recorded "I've Just Seen A Face" and "Yesterday."
oh, I didn't know that , thanks
Talk about amazing variey. Versatility at its best!
He might make it big one day if he keeps that up
@@OzTwanger He just might, as long as someone could lend him their ears so he could sing them a song and try not to sing out of key.
14 June 1965, my 6th birthday!
They played I'm Down live at Shea Stadium!!! Lennon does the piano slides with his elbow!!! Watch their Shea Stadium or anything live Caroline!!! They're gonna stop performing live soon. Be interesting to see your reaction to them live and then becoming a total studio band😀😀😀
Definitely watch that it’s so funny! Proberly best to watch off the anthology
they stopped performing live a few years ago, sadly
It was a cheesy Vox Continental organ, not a piano. A lot of bands used them during that time.
Eventually (and thankfully) most bands discovered the Hammond organ/Leslie speaker combination.
I love the performance of Im down at Shea Stadium-- you can see how much they loved performing together. It's not 'perfect' musically, but its pretty perfect in how Beatle like it is- showing talent, fun, youth and friendship.
That instrument you're hearing is electric guitar; the effect is achieved by striking the note while the volume is off, then opening the volume. Results in a sound more like a bowed instrument, or a synth. It's done either with the hand on the volume control on the guitar, or a volume foot-pedal. A "tone pedal" is a wah-wah, that differentiates not in volume, but between bass and treble. Re Bingo: Beginning with Rubber Soul, you might want to add sitar to your bingo board. Also, a square for any tune, or section of; not in 4/4, or for unusual key changes, or for melodies in unusual modes. (lydian, dorian, etc See YT David Bennet-piano) That will attract all of us music geeks. All that said, I'd like to jump in and let folks know that what's called a "tremelo" arm on an electric guitar is not at all "tremelo", it's vibrato. Vibrato changes pitch, tremelo changes volume.
Yes indeed regarding the guitar. Other comment by David & Julie about George using a tone pedal may indeed be accurate as well...I'm not sure. But I am almost positive he is turning the volume knob... have done this myself.
And yes, it is in "I need You" as well.
And that's also the effect heard in "I Need You", that Caroline noticed it hit a little bit after the tempo when Georg sang "Need" and "You"; probably, the attack was on tempo and the volume opened immediatly after.
A buddy who taught me a lot about the guitar called it a "pinky flip" because you flip the volume knob on the face of the guitar with your pinky.
It's a foot pedal. George's then new toy. He had just got it.
I think the effect was used mainly in country western music of the time, though no specific songs come to mind at the moment. I'm thinking along the lines of Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry". Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline come to mind as well.
I'd say adding a bingo square for key changes or otherwise uncommon chord usage would be very appropriate for the Beatles, since they really pushed the boat out with that. Would've been a popular square for songs off A Hard Day's Night!
Ohhhh Yess!!!
@@CallMeCaroline I believe you meant to say "Oh Yeah!!!" or "Yeah Yeah Yeah!!!"
CAROLINE!!!!!! As a 58 yr old American Beatles fan, your channel is a pure delight for me! I got tired of all of the so-called reaction channels in which everyone reacted to all the same stuff with seemingly set reactions. You my Dear are a breath of fresh air! Your reactions to their songs are real, not phony. Also I like that you will say that you really did not care for a particular song. That is how I know that your reactions are honest. And man are you talented! You have a beautiful voice and you are so knowledgeable musically. Obviously you have had a great schooling in music . I am gonna have to get your autograph before you become a really big star!
I absolutely agree and I say this as a 19 year old
Yes It Is has to be one of the most underrated Beatles song ever.
When you get a chance Caroline you need to watch them play I’m Down at the Shea Stadium concert. They seriously rock this number, and John about goes all Jerry Lee Lewis on the keyboard playing it with his elbows and tearing it up - literally! He broke two keys on it while just about destroying the thing! It’s so awesome to watch!
Haha, I just made the same comment more or less. Great performance.
Yes! I remember John saying he lost his mind during it.
@phillydisco They hooked up the sound to the stadium load speaker. It's one of the few concerts they can actually hear themselves. Girls were making a dash for them constantly through the concert. Security were tackling them rugby style. It's a great concert to watch. It's not the best quality, but it's so crazy. There is a good cut on one of the anthology videos. I think 5, possibly 4 but you can watch the whole thing here on RUclips. .
Paul, George, and Ringo could barely get through the song laughing at John's antics, but they *just* (barely) held it all together. :D
@@270yis7 John was even cracking up when he forgot to join George for a line. Just a really fun video to watch
The 3-part harmonies on "Yes It Is" have always reminded me of "This Boy". Perfect blend of John,Paul and George. On "I'm Down", Paul showcases his Little Richard vocal skills ala' "Lucille" and "Tooti Frutti". Paul can sing any style in my opinion.
Good call!
Keep in mind that "I'm Down" and "Yesterday" were recorded in the SAME SESSION. Talk about versatility.
"That’s me trying a rewrite of ‘This Boy’, but it didn’t work." John Lennon talking about Yes It Is
@@IcouldBNE1 I agree, it's a poor imitation.
@@brianjeffries1961 I kind of wish I'm Down would have closed the Help album instead of Dizzy Miss Lizzy. I'm Down is much better IMO.
"Yes It Is" is my favorite Beatles song for harmony. They're not just singing parallel thirds (like Nowhere Man) but are really doing some interesting stuff.
Other Beatles Bingo square ideas:
- key change
- time signature change
- unusual mode (dorian, lydian, etc.)
- vocal harmony with one voice as a drone
- nonparallel vocal harmony
- call and response
- acapella break
- bass mirroring guitar line
- guitar mirroring vocal melody
- acoustic section + electric section
- sound effects / sampling
- singing in a silly voice
- puns / double meanings
Sitar!!!
- Paul is dead clue 😈
Cowbell!
We all love you for doing these Beatles reactions. Thank you Caroline.
Beatles Bingo is a great idea. How about a square for if you ask “What instrument is that?”
These two songs were NOT on the same single. "Yes It Is" is the non-LP B-side of "Ticket to Ride," while "I'm Down" is the non-LP B-side of "Help!"
I was going to post similar, but your explanation is better than I could come up with.
yup, back in 65, one of the first singles I ever owned was Help/I'm Down, second was Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out
@@RichusRkr I collected, and still have, all but one of their studio albums, well worn now of course.
Glad you posted this; as in 1965 the UK release singles were:
- Ticket To Ride/Yes It Is
- Help/ I'm Down
- We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper
Yes it Is is a song I had forgotten about and rediscovered about 10 years ago. John really nails it vocally.
What has to be remembered here as well, is the Beatles did all this while the technology was pretty poor. These days you can get everything you need on a PC, back then everything was from scratch.
Also, again what I love about then is the diversity. Normally you get a singer or band and that's it, but the beatles covered every genre and along with some funny tongue in cheek songs (Piggies 1 of many) they could make you teary and laughing all on 1 album.
Genius
their early success enabled them to have unlimited finances and access to studio time and instrumentation. they were using the absolute best at the time... no budget...
@@RichusRkr
But the best budget back in the 60s was the equivalent to a mobile phone today.
4/8 track, no feed back whilst on stage, no pc to help make sounds.
For example certain songs would have been impossible to do live back in the 60s, but now would be easy with just a pc and a speaker.
The technology back then was bad compared to what's on offer today for little money
Yeah Beatles Bingo is good. The insights you are giving on each track are giving me a whole new level of appreciation for these songs I've known for over 45 years. Thank You
"I'm Down" is just a fun one-off. Check out the Beatles live performances in the summer of 1965 to see John Lennon using his elbows to play the harmonium!
Organ not harmonium
I feel like I'm experiencing all their songs again as I did from 1964-1970. Caroline, your joy and exuberance is contagious. Thank you.
Over 1000 views in under and hour. Wow, I thought it was only me who had found this channel I like so much. Well done Caroline !!!!
Yes It Is is a (kind of less known) Lennon / Harrison masterpiece for the time. Lennon's writing and vocals and George's unique guitar, I'm Down is simply one of Paul's best jobs of just rockin' out Oh and you may have gotten a Yeah yeah yeah about 6 seconds before the end of Im Down
Yes, tho not the traditional Yeah x3 like on She loves you.
Yes it is is lennon-mccartney.
Lennon-McCartney
Love Beatles bingo, more please. In the Coming years the Beatles will not benefit from the technological advancement of recording so much as they’ll advance it many of the techniques for recording their music on future albums they had to invent as they went
Thanks so much Thomas! I look forward to what's coming up :)
I don’t think I’ve ever heard Yes It Is before, so thank you.
You missed John's double-tracked vocals during the "I could be happy ..." bridge in "Yes It Is."
Would that give us a Bingo?
@@buddyneher9359 Nope
@@Andyvan92110 😧 too bad! I really wanted a bingo!
I was hoping she would catch that double track vocal on the “middle eight” of “Yes It Is” and we’d get Bingo!
The square specified “double VERSE vocals”, not bridge or chorus (middle eight).
The sound you puzzled over at the start of Yes It Is is George's electric guitar being "violined"...George plays the notes. John manipulated the volume pot to make the notes bloom and swell.
Beach Boy vibes you definitely ARE getting from I'm Down. They were fans.
I loved the fun you derived from this classic rock track. Even more fun is the live footage of them performing this song at Shea Stadium. Its wild and they crack up laughing a few times. Truly recommended
I would say I'm Down is a not very good attempt a Little Richard type rocker than a Beach boys song. Easily one of their worst.
@@scottandrewbrass1931 Oh. Oh dear. Oh well I bet you're glad there's a skip button so you can pass the nasty song by then 🙂
But you're correct. They'd been doing Long Tall Sally since the beginning of time and were beginning to look for an alternative for their live shows so Paul came up with this. The Beach Boys reference is in John and George's harmonies which towards the end of the song are densely multitracked with additional harmonies including an authentic sounding bass part, sung by Lennon in the style of Mike Love (of the Beach Boys...an affectionate tribute they would repeat 3 years later in the Back In The USSR sessions). The fact that this rocker was recorded during the same recording as Yesterday speaks volumes for their great versatility.
Only a dick would go around poo-pooing their sense of fun and ability to rock n roll. They were rocking harder than most bands back in '62 imo (and I do stress...IMO) The Star Club performance of Long Tall Sally left me slack jawed when I first heard it.
I like how you took a such a close look at these B sides. I look forward to what you have to say about Rubber Soul, my favorite Beatles album.
Thank you Jon!!
After Rubber Soul is when McCartney really begins to top Lennon in the songwriting. Revolver is my fav album because it sounds very different from everything they did before. When Tomorrow Never Know came out nobody had ever heard the sounds from that song before. It actually shocked people because they didn't even know how to take it in. They didn't know what to make of it whether if it was good or bad. It actually frightened some people just as Strawberry Fields did. That was because the tape loops created sounds that no humans had ever heard before and when a sound is isolated and played back at different speeds it looses its identity and it sounds alarming and disturbing.
Regarding technology, it's worth understanding what they were up against. The first two LPs were recorded on two-track tape machines. After that they graduated to four-track, which they used until The White Album in 1968, when they moved to eight-track. And we're talking about mono tracks here. So, for most of their recording career, if they needed more than four tracks for a song, they had to "bounce" the first four-track tape onto a second tape, mixing it down to (usually, I think) just one mono track, so that further tracks could be recorded on the second tape. The sometimes rather odd choices in the stereo mixes are often down to this limitation. It's certainly worth bearing in mind when you get to Revolver and Sgt Pepper that they were made using four-track machines.
It's only recently that digital technology has made it possible to accurately synch up the tracks on the first four-track tape with the extra tracks added on the second "bounced" tape (assuming both tapes still exist), thus creating a new multitrack master, where all of the tracks are first-generation quality, and all can be individually controlled when mixing. The new stereo remix of Sgt Pepper from 2017 was made in this way.
Fascinating to watch Caroline and another young girl who is doing videos of 'first listens'.to the Beatles. The Beatles' masterpieces never get old, kids.
I say we call that a Bingo and you give us a beautiful rendition of "And I Love Her."
I, for one, would love to hear that. I think you could do it justice.
Peace
And remember:the guitar lick that runs through And I Love Her was a Harrison original, and even Paul admits it made the song.
My goodness! Listening to The Beatles for the first time! I can't imagine what that must be like.
Don’t skip Magical Mistery Tour. It is part of every Beatles albums box sets and a very important album of their collection.
Absolutely I think it's better than Sergeant Pepper lonely heart club band
@@roberthughes4129 Don't be ridiculous. MMT isn't an album but a compilation EP. The songs on it are wonderful but remember Penny Lane and Strawberry fields were recorded for SGPeps but went out as singles because the record label was demanding them. The two songs were recorded during the SGTPeps sessions. MMT is one of my fav Beatles listens but remember an album is a concept within itself and SGTpeps was a folly live band headed by Billy Shears and it is a complete masterpiece in every way you could imagine. New sounds never heard before, the first ever concept album with some really different arrangements. It would of been even greater if Penny Lane and SGTpeps was on it but even without nobody has done a better album.
@@MICKEYISLOWD wow I remember where the album come out I'm that old i sure hope she reviews it I sure you know that Hey Jude was recorded doing The White Album
It is one of their albums. This isn't even a question.
I am waiting with unbridled anticipation for the next "listens". Mind blown in 3 2 1....
Cazza - you're a joy to watch! You're a super-nice person, great fun and have a lovely smile!
It's another pointer to the Beatles' greatness that an album of B sides would probably sneak into an all-time top 1000 LPs. B sides for many bands in the early sixties were throwaways that didn't even make it as filler on an LP but The Beatles were so prolific (and good) that some singles were released as double A sides and 'Rain' is, of course, possibly the best B side ever made. Keep remembering the singles, Caroline. That's where much of the gold is.
One of my favorites..such a sad song and such great harmonies.
Okay I'm absolutely loving these series every time more, as a huge Beatles fan myself I totally enjoy watching your reactions to their catalogue, reminds me of my own, and so wise to do it chronologically
Speaking of which, there's another song you should check out too, it's called 'Bad Boy' written by Larry Williams, recorded during the Help album sessions the same day as 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy' (both Williams song, covered as a tribute), they were originally planned for release in the USA only, but ended up including 'DML' in the Help album, while 'Bad Boy' remained unpublished in the UK until it appeared in a compilation and afterwards in the singles album; I hope you can listen to it in the next video so it can catch up with its time (early 65), Lennon's voice totally rocks in that one too
The hilarious thing is that they recorded "I'm Down" on the same day that Paul recorded his acoustic guitar and vocals for "Yesterday."
Lennon puts lot of soul into his vocal at he climax in the bridge. Just fabulous. He just makes the moment so real.
Oh, Caroline. You should have started the bingo game with the second or third album! Definitely bring bingo back for the next album, because after that they stop digging into their usual bag of tricks (although double tracked vocals -- using ADT -- is pretty much a standard thing going forward.)
Love your enthusiasm. Reminds me of my younger self when I first heard these songs on the radio and ran to the record store to buy them. John later said that Yes It Is was a weak attempt to recreate the three part harmony of This Boy. But I always loved the song and it's fun to sing. Love that guitar sound as well. Carry on, you look like you're having a wonderful time.
You should definitely watch live videos of I'm down.
John plays the organ with his elbow!
Well, he did live at Shea in '65.
@@darrenjray also on Ed Sullivan and at Blackpool
You mentioned doubling the voice, as opposed to harmonizing. John loved to double his voice so much that Abbey Road engineer Geoff Emerick invented a way to automate voice doubling, called Artificial (or sometimes called Automatic) Double Tracking (ADT), which became widely adopted in the recording industry. Of course, its simple with digital technology, but back in those days ADT was a very clever analog trick.
If I remember correctly, they made up a word for that, they called it flanging.
@@Andyvan92110 "flanging" That would be odd since flanging is usually used to 'distort' an audio signal.
If I remember correctly, it wasn´t Geoff Emerick who invented ADT. It was another Abbey Road engineer at the time, named Ken Townsend.
I love Paul's screams in general, but they are superb in "I'm Down". Harmonies are great, but I'm a scream connoisseur.
Same here! I feel she overlooked how great those moments were toward the end of the song.
@@analogblues , she probably thinks screaming like that is a dime a dozen, but in reality, I can count on one hand how many singers can scream like that. I'm not too shabby myself.
@@charlesberton2581 Totally agree! Very few singers can scream that well.
Paul scream particularly well
Somebody posted this on a Beatles FB group today. Sharing for everyone's general edification!
At the end of day 16th February, 1965, from 7 to 10 pm, The Beatles recorded all of the overdubs needed to complete the song Yes It Is.
The first step was for George to overdub the chords of the song onto 'track two' of the tape with his Gretsch electric guitar using a foot-controlled volume pedal, the same device he had used that same day as an overdub on "I Need You." This device was connected to the volume of the guitar to create swells of volume after the chord or note was played. When the pedal is used in connection with the tone of the guitar, as by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Cream, the result became what was famously referred to as a wah-wah pedal.
Then, onto 'track three," the excellent three-part harmony was perfected. John, Paul and George first had to get the harmonies down and rehearse them, which they did with the help of producer George Martin. "They always experimented with close harmony singing," Martin explains, "all I did was change the odd note." It appears that many odd notes were changed in this arrangement because these harmonies lifted and dove in ways that no other Beatles harmonies had done.
Enjoy that wonderful song from Past Masters. In the comments, version from Anthology 2, where George Martin realized the stark beauty of the song as heard on the original "take two" as recorded on February 16th, 1965 with John's guide vocal accompanying the simple rhythm track. Just before John breaks his guitar string during the bridge, Martin fades in the last half of the finished "take 14" with the excellently performed vocal harmony overdub.
You're musical adventure of listening to the Beatles is about to take a drastic turn with Rubber Soul, and I'm excited to watch you experience it. Revolver is my favorite album of all time!
Beatles Bingo is a genius idea, but I think the criteria will have to change as you progress through the back catalogue. Great fun - keep it up!
You have heard that guitar sound before! Remember George’s song from Help called “I Need You,” with the out-of-time guitar effect? It’s the same thing as in “Yes It Is”-a volume pedal.
Hey Caroline good video! always enjoy these! I'm not really a fan of the bingo square, i feel like it takes away from the overall experience and since the beatles' sound changes drastically from 1966 onward i feel like the things you would predict wouldnt really be applicable to the albums you have yet to react to. Thanks for the great content nonetheless! Can't wait for the next few albums!
Agreed! The Beatles Bingo is a fun idea, but it should be saved until after all the songs are heard.
Yes, I agree that while Bingo seems like a fun idea, in practice it tends to interrupt the flow of hearing the music and letting us see Caroline's delightful reactions.
That’s a wah wah pedal on the guitar on “Yes It Is”. George also used it on “I Need You” and “It’s Only Love”. It became more mainstream in a couple of years. George wrote a song called “Wah Wah” a few years later that ended up on his “All Things Must Pass” album.
It's the same guitar George used on his song "I Need You". Also , you need to watch them perform "I'm Down" live at Shea Stadium from 1966.
Enjoying this greatly!! Keep it up.
I love this Beatles series ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The two singles from the Help album were the title track and “Ticket to Ride”. “I’m Down” was the B side of the former, while “Yes It Is” was the B side of the latter.
I believe the B sides also count as singles, right?
@@fewwiggle I would certainly think the B sides count, yes! I think what Sam means is that a single was literally one small vinyl record with a song on one side that was considered "the" single...as in the song they were showcasing. It was called the "A-side", and the back side was, in many cases, just considered an after-thought, or a space for a less impressive song. Some B-sides of singles have been amazing for sure, by the Beatles and by other bands, but you'd never have a B-side considered a single in its own right. If you're over 54 like me you can disregard all this as you likely already know!! lol
She missed Bad Boy reaction.
@@anthonytonycorso7550 Actually, the B-Side of records was considered a "Single" in its own right (by chart makers) and sometimes charted better than the A-Side.
From a 61 year old Beatle nut from Liverpool (raised near John and Pauls houses) It’s great to watch you ‘dissect’ the classic Beatles tunes. Subbed you 👍🇬🇧
Amazingly, Paul recorded the vocal tracks for "I'm Down," "I've Just Seen a Face," and "Yesterday" on the same day!
You wonder if the Beatles would experiment with sound? Oh, yeah--the best (and most experimental) is yet to come!
The other instrument is actually electric guitar and they're using a volume pedal to swell the notes in, so you don't hear the attack.
That's very clever, I was wondering if they had reversed the audio, a common trick now due to the lack of attack. Thanks for letting me know!
Bingo. I think in this one John actually operated the pedal for George as he struggled getting the timing down.
@@CallMeCaroline It's the same effect that was used on "I Need You" (the George song from the "Help!" album). The effect is more prominent -- and slightly jarring -- on that song.
@@CallMeCaroline The reversing-the-tape thing wouldn't come in until the Revolver album. But volume pedal back then was new in the pop world, although it was known in country music. If you're interested, guitarist Steve Howe of the band Yes was a master of using the volume pedal.
Oh, yeah, more Beatles Bingo, please. That was a scream, Caroline, and another treat watching and listening. You get my vote.
Please do the Bingo for the upcoming albums, it's a fun idea! I'm looking forward to Rubber Soul, I really love that album.
I am enjoying this series immensely! In the U.S., both of these songs were B-sides. Yes It Is was the B-side of Ticket to Ride, and I'm Down was the B-side of Help.
The bingo is a fun idea. Right now you're kinda in no man's land between the old Beatles and the new Beatles which will make the game real interesting. For Sgt Pepper, it's not just orchestral instruments but how many different instruments you might hear.
I can’t hardly wait for the next episode. Great stuff.
Pretty sure all those Bingo squares are gonna be checked in “Rubber Soul.” 😂
My parents had to listen to their fair share of Beatles and the dissonance in Yes It Is is the only thing that hurt my mother’s ears. And she had to let me know. 😄 Moving forward now, the Beatles will be experimenting (with everything).
Thanks for what you’re doing!
The non-albums singles are an important part of The Beatles career, great that you're covering them too. Just a little heads-up, for the Magical Mystery Tour singles, just do the album not the singles, since it's considered part of the canon albums now. Thanks for ending my Sunday on a good note :)
I do think penny lane and strawberry fields should be listened to before or with Sgt Pepper because that’s when it was recorded and released originally
@@erikd16 It never dawned on me back in the 70s when I started collecting Beatles albums that those 2 songs came out first. I think I first heard about it when the Anthology came out in the early 90s. I collected mostly all the American version albums but with a few imports and some bootlegs. It was weird when I started to listen to some of the British versions because I was like one song doesn't go well after after the previous song. It was implanted in my brain which songs followed each other on the albums I had. I even blew the mind of one of my friends who never heard about some of the bootlegs I had and showed him that I had a bunch of songs from the Anthology almost 20 years before the Anthology came out!
@@RayRay-zt7bj I had "I'll be on my way" in 1983; I was 12 😀. Have to thank my older brother tho, he knew how to get all the stuff.
@@marcoforni8480 Wow! That's cool. That is one of the songs I didn't have on any bootleg or ever heard before The BBC CD came out. It was my favorite unheard song on The BBC .
@@RayRay-zt7bj that’s super interesting! it’s weird for me to listen to penny lane strawberry fields before sgt pepper too. But it enhances the experience for me to know that that is how the audiences originally heard it.
I recently changed my music library sequencing to reflect the EP version of MMT. With your mother should know being track 2 and walrus being track 3 and so on. I did it when I learned the Beatles hated the American version of MMT when it was released. It’s so weird to hear them in that order now!!
As someone who knew the Beatles, I think it is quite interesting to see people discover the music for the first time.
I'm enjoying this series so much, really cool to find your channel!
edit: I went to the kitchen to get some coffee, I realized I was with a big smile in my face. Your videos are contagious! XD
Love the Beatles Bingo idea! Can't wait to see what we will get with "Rubber Soul" coming up next!
Some info on these two songs:
-The guitar effect on "Yes it is" is a made with a volume pedal. George is fading the sound in once he has played the note or the chord. He did the same for his song "I Need You" on the "Help!" album.
-McCartney (and Lennon) wrote "I'm Down" to have a rocker to play at the end of their shows, to replace "Long Tall Sally" they had been playing the years before.
Just some info from a lifetime Beatles fan who played in a Beatles band way back in the 80's! :)
Keep on the great work, Caroline! It's fantastic to rediscover those songs I've known forever through your young and fresh ears! Thank you! :)
Their performance of "I'm Down" at Shea Stadium is a must-see. During it, when Paul is singing, "How can you laugh, when you know I'm down?" John and George start cracking up laughing.
Great reaction.... I enjoyed the idea of Bingo for the 45's. Rain....can't wait for a shot, at that 45... Paperback writer. Now it gets fun.❤🙂👍
You should listen to "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out" before Rubber Soul. They were released on the same day, but the single seems better as a preface to the album rather than as an ending
The Beatles played I'm Down during the famous Shea Stadium concert in 1965 as the closing song of the show.
It is fun to watch them having so much fun!!
(These two songs were actually B-sides. Yes It Is was the B-side of Ticket To Ride and I'm Down was the B-side of Help!)
This was amazing and the Bingo was such a fun idea! I vote that, in the spirit of The Beatles, we throw out all of the rules of Bingo and vote for a song anyway! I would love for you to cover "If I Fell" from A Hard Days' Night :D
There is a "yeah yeah yeah" in Im down. Around 1:50 into the song :)
In a sort of way "I'm Down" is Paul's unique way of doing his very own Little Richard song (without having to cover Little Richard). It served, at that time, as the newest show closer. It served this purpose very well.
So true. But she's right too when she says there are some Beach Boys vibes on the backing vocals.
It's the "Little Richard goes to California" number, lol
Absolutely, she's right! Very perceptive too. But, down the road, I'm thinking "Paperback Writer" and "Back in the USSR" for two examples, Paul goes very much more Beach Boys on us!!!!
@@troyrosamond1233 Don't forget "You Won't See Me".
@@paulopinheirosc Right but the Beach Boys' backing vocals emanated from Doo Wop and Rnb
@@joscofe Which is the same source the Beatles got it from.
I am just loving this so much, i feel like i always do jamin with the Beatles! Way to go Caroline!
One of the ways I worked out which songs were Lennon songs and which were McCartney's was how they differ sonically - McCartney songs have a lot more movement in them, while Lennon's songs are a often 'flatter'; so it was interesting to hear you pick up on this.
Also, once you get more in tune with the drumming, we need Ringo Bingo :)
In general this _is_ true, but this would not be accurate when applied to these two songs in particular. "Yes It Is" is quite melodically vertical, more McCartney-an; the static vocal line she attributed to Lennon was probably Harrison, with McCartney on top. Lennon's vocal line throughout the song (the melody line) is more jumpy.
What an absolutely great idea!!!! Beatles Bingo!!! 😀😀😀😀 That is AWESOME!!! LOVE IT!!!👍👍🎸🎸😁😁🎼🎼💖💖👍👍
I'm Down and Yesterday were recorded on the same day, and Yesterday was 2nd!
You can appreciate on the first listening of a Beatles' song what escapes most listeners who have heard it 100+ times. Also, you bring a new appreciation to fans who have been listening for decades...I especially love it when you are going to hear one of my favorite Beatle tracks like "I've Just Seen A Face" etc. for the first time and get to watch your mind explode...Keep doing what you're doing. I so look forward to hearing/seeing each new video. Thank you!
Glad to see that you're becoming quite a big Beatles fan :)
So much love for this channel!
yes it is a quality ballad. John hated it from what I heard stating that it was an ineffective rewrite of "This Boy" from A Hard Day's Night.
John never talked positively about his Beatles work, especially after they broke up. Obviously there are exceptions, but he wasn’t very nice to himself or the others music.
This Boy wasn't from A Hard Days Night. It was The B side to I Want To Hold Your Hand. Though an instrumental version called Ringo's Theme was in the film.
You've got to see 'I'm Down' performed at the Shea Stadium concert. They are having so much fun. When John does his elbow run on the organ, Paul cracks up with laughter. Indeed, George can hardly control his laughter too when John speeds back to the mike to do the duet with George. I think you can see this on a RUclips clip.
Just wait until you get to the Revolver era. Everything you know about The Beatles is going to change.
So next up is Rubber Soul and it’s single, Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out. BUT there’s also “Bad Boy”, which was recorded during Help! for one if the American albums, so don’t leave that one out! I love this series, the bingo is clever, and you’re lovely.
I'm down, Paul is sinnging the wild Rock
Indeed! And there’s not many who do it as well as he does.
Well done again for a great review. Yes it Is Is one of their most enthralling songs, it is a beautifully rendered tortured ballad. The guitar effect was created by John adjusting the volume of George's guitar, phasing it in and out in real time, as it was being recorded, as far as I'm aware. I'm loving these reviews, thank you.
The live performance of I’m Down at Shea Stadium is probably the most fun and upbeat you’ll ever see the entire band, particularly John. I’d highly recommend you watch it!
I totally agree - I cannot watch I'm Down at Shea Stadium without having a big smile on my face. They were having so much fun you can't help but laugh with them some
Interestingly, the well-known live versions of 'Im down' are not all that good (the best is probably still that of the Blackpool TV show) and never match the power of other rockers such as "Twist and shout", "Long tall" Sally ", or" She's a woman ". One notices the signs of wear and tear of the "Beatlemania" as early as the 1965 concerts.
How on Earth I haven't heard of this "Yes it is" song until know 😭😭😭
Caroline, please keep in mind that The Beatles were producing all this music with just four track tape recording technology and its limitations, up to and including the Sargent Pepper album. This is what speaks to the absolute genius of George Martin and his people at Abbey Road.
In "I'm Down" Paul McCartney sings in the style of Little Richard --- who taught him to sing like that in person --- as Paul already did in in "Kansas City" (album Beatles for sale). "Yes it is" is a superb three-part harmony piece. The Beatles were very good at that, already in the early sixties, both in performing ("This boy") and composing ("If I fell"). Harmony was an important element of popular music in the sixties. Other succesful bands excelling at harmony --- both influenced by AND influencing the Beatles --- include The Byrds, The Beach Boys and The Hollies. In parallel to The Beatles also these bands went through an evolution from simple rock-and-roll to more sophisticated forms of music. But the way was led by The Beatles.