|
Lead
Singer: John/Paul
Recording: 1/19/67,
1/20/67, 2/3/67, 2/10/67,
2/22/67, 3/1/67
Mixing:
1/30/67, 2/13/67, 2/22/67,
2/23/67
Length:
5:03
Take:
7
Anomalies
1:43
Switch click as
orchestra comes in
(Right) |
1:44-2:16,
3:50-4:19
Mal Evans is heard
counting the bars
from 1 to 24; only
about the first
dozen are audible,
starting at about
three to 12 |
2:17
Right ear - intake
of breath |
2:18
An alarm clock
sounds to mark the
end of the first 24
bars [1] |
2:18-2:20
Someone says "One"
to mark the
downbeat. Quieter,
but audible on the
CD is the trailing
"two three four"
(right) |
2:42-2:48
Just before and
after the words "had
a smoke", Lennon
starts talking and
carrying on, most
audibly a loud "hoooo"
under the word
"smoke" (Right) |
2:58
(Left channel)
sounds like a cough |
4:50-4:52
A chair squeaking
(three creaks
total). Also
reported as a "nose
sniffle", paper
rustling, someone
saying "Shh!",
sustain pedal being
released on the
piano ... |
4:52-end * NEW *
I'm failing to
verify reports I
occasionally get of
the sound of an air
conditioning fan in
this area of the
track. I've read it
in Lewisohn, but I
can't find it to
verify for myself.
If anyone can
actually hear this,
give me some precise
pointer as to where
it is supposed to
be, please! If I can
find it and extract
it I will put an
audio clip of this
section up. Also,
remind me I said
that if you do find
it! |
[1] Rumour has it
that the alarm clock
was timed to go off
after 24 bars to
mark where the
downbeat is. Common
sense should tell
you that this is
nonsense. You cannot
set an alarm clock
to go off with
anything like that
accuracy. The more
likely explanation
is that the alarm
was "let off" --
deliberately
triggered by hand at
that moment.
Lewisohn states this
was a mechanism to
mark the end of the
passage. However, it
seems an odd thing
to do, especially
when there was
already a vocal
count of bars. * NEW
* However odd this
seems, it may well
be true. I've had
justifications of
why the count of
bars (on its own) is
insufficient to cue
the orchestra.
JustToJess@aol.com
writes:-
I've spent my entire
life since I was
three in musical
theatre, and I can
assure you that many
people do need to
"wake up" after 24
bars of music. Not
that they have poor
concentration, or
that they would have
missed the cue, but
after rehearsing
this song over and
over and over again,
and after countless
takes, it is VERY
reasonable to assume
that the alarm clock
(most likely hit
from the piano -
people do have slips
of the tongue, you
know) got them back
into the music, and
started that "umph"
that they needed to
maintain the same
quality of . . .
atmosphere? carisma?
I don't know the
right word, but just
that little bit of
enthusiasm and
excitement by the
performers that
gives the song that
special somthing. I
know that many a
director I have
worked with has done
something like this
during long, tedious
rehersals.
* NEW * Yes, it fits
in with the "Woke
up..." line. I don't
know if that was
intentional or not,
but it is widely
written that fitting
with the lyrics was
only coincidental,
and the alarm
clock's purpose was
primarily and
originally as a
marker. Nothing
more.
* NEW * I'm still
getting reports on
this alarm clock
entry, perpetuating
the idea that the
alarm was set and
timed to go off
after 24 bars.
Please feel free to
try it with any wind
up alarm clock of
your choice, if you
can do it, I'd like
to hear about it.
* NEW * There is a
very subtle
distinction between
"setting an alarm
clock to go off" and
"setting an alarm
clock off". The
former implies an
interval passing
between doing
something with the
clock, and having it
sound 24 bars later.
The latter implies
direct interference
with the clock to
make it sound now.
The latter is the
only reasonable
explanation. |
|
|
| A 41 piece orchestra played on
this. The musicians were told to
attend the session dressed formally.
When they got there, they were
presented with party novelties
(false noses, party hats,
gorilla-paw glove) to wear, which
made it clear this was not going to
be a typical session. The orchestra
was conducted by Paul McCartney, who
told them to start with the lowest
note of their instruments and
gradually play to the highest.
(thanks, Jes - Mason City, IA) |
| This was recorded in 3 sessions:
First the basic track, then the
orchestra, then the last note was
dubbed in. |
| The beginning was based on 2
stories John Lennon read in the
paper: Guinness heir Tara Browne
dying when he smashed his lotus into
a parked van, and an article in the
UK Daily Express in early 1967 which
told of how the Blackburn Roads
Surveyor had counted 4000 holes in
the roads of Blackburn and commented
that the volume of material needed
to fill them in was enough to fill
the Albert Hall. (thanks, Ed -
Perth, Australia) |
| McCartney contributed the line
"I'd love to turn you on." This was
a drug reference, but the BBC banned
it for the line about having a smoke
and going into a dream, which they
thought was about marijuana |
| McCartney's middle section (Woke
up, got out of bed...) was intended
for another song. |
| The final chord was produced by
all 4 Beatles and George Martin
banging on 3 pianos simultaneously.
As the sound diminished, the
engineer boosted to faders. |
| The final note lasts 42 seconds.
The studio air conditioners can be
heard toward the end as the faders
were pushed to the limit to record
it. |
| After the final note, Lennon had
producer George Martin dub in a high
pitched tone, which most humans
can't hear, but drives dogs crazy. |
| In 2004, McCartney did an
interview with the Daily Mirror
newspaper where he said he was doing
cocaine around this time along with
marijuana: "I'd been introduced to
it, and at first it seemed OK, like
anything that's new and stimulating.
When you start working your way
through it, you start thinking,
'This is not so cool and idea,'
especially when you start getting
those terrible comedowns." |
| The movie reference is to a film
Lennon acted in called How I Won
The War. |
| Keith Richards named his second
son Tara after Tara Brown, the
Guinness heir who smashes his car in
Lennon's 1st verse. Richard's son
was premature and died soon after
birth. |
| The Beatles started this with
the working title "In The Life
of..." |
| A few seconds after this ends,
at the end of the album, there is a
loop of incomprehensible Beatles
studio chatter that was spliced
together. This was put there so
vinyl copies would play this
continuously in the run-out groove,
sounding like something went
horribly wrong with the record.
Kids, ask your parents about vinyl. |
| That's Mal Evans doing the
counting during the first transition
from John to Paul. He set the alarm
clock (heard on the recording) to go
off at the end of his 24-bar count.
Evans also helped with the
composition of a couple of songs on
the Sgt. Pepper album.
Although he never received
composer's credit, the Beatles did
pay his estate a lump sum in the
1990s for his contributions. Evans
died January 5, 1976 after a
misunderstanding with the police.
(thanks, Brad Wind - Miami, FL) |
| A car dealer and Beatle friend
Terry Doran helped come up with the
lyric "Now they know how many holes
it takes to fill the Albert Hall."
(thanks, Jes - Mason City, IA) |
| In the original take, a 41 piece
orchestra was not used. Instead,
Lennon had Ringo count to 21 in a
very trippy manner. This version is
on the 2nd Anthology CD, and is a
very different version than the one
on Sgt. Pepper. (thanks, Emery - San
Jose, CA) |
