Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite

Very. Strange.

This is my first foray into the genuinely strange tracks the Beatles delved into about 75% through their careers. Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite is a track that likely exists completely in some LSD based world, along with the bulk of Sgt Peppers and has the instrumentation and lyrics to match.

Because

I’ll just skip straight to the “hardest part” section: everything. This song is insanely difficult. The harpsichord part is very strange, it wasn’t written for guitar so the guitar part is awkward, and the vocals are absurd. I tried a NUMBER of takes and this was the best I came up with. The bottom part spreads out widely and involves holding notes right at the break in my voice (from chest to head), the middle part constantly jumps above and below that break: too high to go all chest voice and too low to go all chest and then the high part… is absolutely ridiculous. High B for a guy? Castrati maybe but not me, friends.

The Ballad of John and Yoko

I will withhold my thoughts on Yoko (loathe her) but this is a catchy number. The guitar part is silly but it’s minimal nature is sweet. The simple piano, bass and acoustic guitar come together to make a song that shows off John’s songwriting skill and simple vocal talent. It’s not that he sings particularly “well” here, it’s that his vocal identity is perfect: it carries the song.

Bad Boy

This is a quirky track. First of all, like the Ballad of John and Yoko, it was only released on a 7″ in the US (although this track appeared on Beatles VI in the UK whereas Ballad of John and Yoko didn’t appear on any full length records). It’s also a cover of Larry Williams cover (as is Dizzy Miss Lizzy). This one has John epitomizing rock and roll singing at the time and really captures something great about the Beatles: even early on they rocked.

Baby You’re a Rich Man

What can be said about this one? This is the first really strange song I’ve had to play thus far. Before this I could pull out an acoustic guitar and play through, but for this one I needed my roommate’s violin and some insanely heavy effects for the lead part (which I thought was a chopped up organ sound but is notated as altered violin…) and effects for the vocals too. The guitar and bass are cool but rather easy.

Baby’s In Black

Baby’s In Black is a lament written for mop-top stylist and former Beatles/Quarrymen bassist Stu Sutcliffe’s girlfriend who was torn up about his death. It appears on Beatles for Sale and the real quirks here are twofold: John and Paul shared the writing and singing duties and the song is in 6/8. 6/8 is the time of sea-shanties and has a mix of being counted like it’s in two but actually being constructed like “ONE two three – ONE two three.”

Baby It’s You

Sha La La La indeed.

I thought I really dug “Ask Me Why” but this is even better. In this one John has great tone and the single guitar takes us back to that early 60’s rock so nicely. Originally this was a somewhat cheesy Burt Bacharach song, but the lads really take it somewhere new.

I had a great time playing this one, and it was a breeze (outside of those harmonies, but they’re coming quite a bit easier now). This one was good enough and quick enough that I played through the two verses instead of just the first minute.

Ask Me Why

What an awesome song!

I have to admit, I have not done much listening to “Please Please Me” as I’m a late Beatles fan mostly, with obvious exceptions. I’m the only one who missed out here though, because this track is awesome! It’s totally 1950’s with that chorus and jaunty feel. If you told me this was a Drifters song I would believe you. This is actually the b side to the eponymous single “Please Please Me,” imagine getting that 7″… would you ever take it off?

Any Time at All

This is an interesting track for a number of reasons, but the obvious one is the Paul/John lead part. I love how they harmonize (don’t we all?) but in this they just belt out a unison tag line “Any time at all (x3) all you gotta do is call and I’ll be there.” Also, the middle eight has no lyrics (apparently Paul suggested lyrics but they were never added, really interesting stuff). As a result the section is a strange kind of semi-musical solo. The piano part seems out of place for the song, and musically it’s strange but pretty sweet in actuality.

And Your Bird Can Sing

I was under the (false) impression that today’s song was going to be “Anna (Go to Him)” which is not one of my faves, and instead my cup overfloweth with “And Your Bird Can Sing.” What a great tune!

I’m well versed in “And Your Bird Can Sing” for a few reasons: Revolver is my favorite Beatles’ record (and this is the first track I’ve recorded off of it, nice!), it is a rather guitar heavy song and I’m a guitarist by trade and it’s one of my best friend’s favorite Beatles’ songs (and she’s a superfan as well).

In any event, this one took some time but