I do believe I know what you mean, though. If we’re going surreal let’s do it up, and forget about make believe stage set ups.
Reply by phat
I think that the medium should be approached in as many interesting ways as possible. I’m not necessarily convinced that a record should sound like that band sounds live. Yes, those outtakes are stunning. And your points about them being a great live band are well taken. But, is that all we should strive for with recorded music? Surrealism might be what I’m talking about. I love surreal film.
Some of this also depends on live where? Are they in a small basement practice room? Are they in a blues club in Chicago? Are they in a perfectly designed acoustic space? Or are they live from the planet Saturn?
Reply by themixfix
“This is a bit off the subject, but I had an engineer tell me that he thinks the guitar on Beatles recordings is weak. I couldn’t believe this! Let’s look and the chain: George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul Mac-Rickenbacher, Gibson, Fender, Hofner-Vox-U47tube-EMI/Telefunken tube console-Studer J37. Yep that’s a recipe for bad sound.”
Yeah, so I’d like to hear HIS *GREAT* guitar sounds/recordings. With him using, oh, like, 10 pedals, preamp gain controls on the amps (IF he even uses amps ), AND I’m sure he just SUCKS, as an *Engineer* anyway.
First recorded feedback EVER was Lennon on “I Feel Fine”. The Rick 12-String stuff was REVOLUTIONARY! “Paperback Writer” guitar sounds kick ass; it’s just hard to tell, especially by lame ass, limp dicks like Mr. *Cut and Paste*, since they are like, 3rd generation down, and one needs EARS, and the ability to distinguish shit from shine-ola to have a clue. That jerk should keep using his POD, Amp Farm, or Line 6 (Presets, anyone? ) to get some REAL cool guitar sounds on Pro Tools for the ‘Boy Bands’ he records.
Reply by steve
“How have the Fab Four recordings helped you to make better recordings? Are there any specific techniques you picked up?”
A frequency range for every part and every part in its frequency range. Listen to any Beatles song with their “typical” instrumentation’ two guitars, bass and drums. Now try to determine the frequency range of the two guitar parts; 9 times out of 10, you will hear NOTHING below 320 Hz or so.
Ever wonder how Paul’s bass parts could be so clear, distinct and loud when he had NO high end on the bass at all? It was because there were no guitar parts competing in his range. From 40 Hz to 200-something Hz was all Paul’s.
Finally, Ringo’s drums sound percussive, not like “Thor’s Hammer” or some other “Thunder of the Gods” nonsense.
Add all of this up and you get a place for everything and everything in its place. It won’t solve all of your problems, but you might be surprised at how many problems it can solve.
Reply by lory
Good points. Now a Beatles question: Until about 1970, George Harrison was an awesome rockabilly guitarist who came through time and time again under the greatest pressure possible. What made him all but give up his incredibly inventive and appropriate rockabilly licks for the rest of his life (I don’t have the answer – I’m asking!) For that matter, how come almost every lead if not every lead he ever played from 1970 on is a slide guitar part?
Anyone a big enough Beatles freak to answer this one?
Reply by nightshade
Maybe a lack of tunes screamin’ for it?
Reply by lorry
Well, if you were in a band called the Traveling Wilburys, do you think there might be one or two tunes that called for something besides slide guitar?
I guess I’ll rephrase the question to delete the word “rockabilly.” Because unlike Jeith Richards, George also stopped playing the Chuck Berry riffs he absolutely excelled at. Basically he had all kinds of stuff in his arsenal. And then he just had slide guitar.
Maybe the Krishna thing?
I’m really not trying to rag on the dead, I’m just curious if anyone has any insight why it all became slide guitar. BTW, last time we were in the car, my 12 year old daughter made me play “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” five times in a row!
Reply by nightshade
That girl’s got TASTE!
Who knows, really? The Beatles all lamed out without each others’ company. I know what you mean though, exactly.