Blog Archive

Saturday, March 29, 2025

A must read: Paul McCartney's tender letter to the son of Harry Nilsson

 

Paul McCartney (MJ KIM/MPL Communications Ltd.)









Feb. 18, 2019

Zak Nilsson, the oldest son of the late singer Harry Nilsson’s seven children, posted Feb. 16 on social media that he had received a letter from Paul McCartney after the former Beatles bassist had learned Nilsson was being treated for cancer. The letter was dated Feb. 4.

“I got this letter from Paul McCartney the other day. He heard I had cancer and sent me this note. I was very touched that Harry’s friendship meant this much to Paul,” Nilsson wrote on Facebook.

You can read the rest of the story that we wrote on Medium

Friday, March 28, 2025

Our latest Beatles News Briefs podcast! We hope you'll take a listen!

Our latest Beatles News Briefs podcast! We investigate the Canadian Beatles Decca tape discovery. Take a listen! 

The news that a high quality copy of the Beatles 1/1/62 Decca Tapes Audition had surfaced in Canada started a lot of commentary and speculation among fans, social media and radio DJs on just what had been discovered. This episode of Beatles News Briefs does a deep dive and investigates this story by going to the source with interviews of the three men who found and have listened to the tape - Rob Frith of Neptoon Records, Larry Hennessey of Reel To Reel To Digital.com and Doug Shober, host of the music blog Noise From the Cranium -- who describe the tape and tells what they have. We also have statements from three renowned Beatles experts - Bruce Spizer, Piers Hemmingsen and Mark Lewisohn - on what the Canadian tape might be. And yours truly gives his comments to one of the songs on the tape which we heard in its entirety. It's the first real answers to the question of what this tape is and what this all means. And we would love to hear your comments. Send them to BeatlesNewsBriefs@gmail.com. And please subscribe and review our show. You can contact Steve at that email address or join him on Facebook on his Beatles News and Information page, with all the latest Beatles News and information, as the title says. Be seeing you.




Monday, March 24, 2025

Carol Kaye on bass, Brian and the Beach Boys

Carol Kaye on bass, Brian and the Beach Boys

Also Phil Spector, Sonny Bono, Barbra Streisand
and the life of a session player

(Among bass players, her name is legend. Carol Kaye has had a long and storied career as a bass player with some very famous people. She played on a number of Beach Boys songs: "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Help Me Rhonda," "Good Vibrations," "Caroline No," "Sloop John B.," "Heroes and Villains," "California Girls," "Surfin' USA" (guitar only on this track) as well as most of the "Pet Sounds" LP and on the now legendary "Smile" sessions.
She's also done sessions for Barbra Streisand, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, Ike and Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Andy Williams, the Monkees, Barbra Streisand, Bobb B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, Glenn Campbell, Sonny and Cher, the Righteous Brothers, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Crystals, Wayne Newton, Frank Zappa and many others. She also can be heard on the sound track of many TV shows, including "Mission Impossible", "M.A.S.H," "The Streets Of San Francisco," "The Brady Bunch," plus some movies: "Airport," "Walk Don't Run," "Sweet Charity," "Plaza Suite," "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," and "Beneath The Planet of the Apes." (A longer list of her session work appears at the bottom of this page.) She is the most recorded bassist, male or female, in the world.
We're very honored to have her thoughts here, which we've assembled from posts from the Bass Player mailing list she's allowed us to quote and some additional thoughts she has sent us.)

I started playing guitar at age 14, had 3 months of lessons with Howard Roberts' teacher, Horace Hatchett, who hired me to teach with him then in 1949, also started playing semi-jazz jobs then. Played odd jobs with all kinds of groups, on the road with a big band at ages 19 and 20. Played bebop 1956 through about 1963 with the finest jazz groups in L.A. Mostly black clubs where the jazz was hottest. I was born in 1935 in Everett, Wash. Came to California in 1941. Lived in a housing project in Wilmington, Calif. Grew up poor. Accidently got into studio work in 1957 when Bumps Blackwell heard me at the Beverly Caverns with the Teddy Edwards jazz group (with Curtis Counce on bass, Billy Higgins on drums) and asked me to do recording sessions with Sam Cooke.

Did lots of record dates and did practically all of the Phil Spector 60's sessions. I accidentally picked up someone's Fender bass when the bass player didn't show on a record date at Capitol Records in 1963 and became quickly the first call bassist for all of the good lines I could create.

Think the record of being the most recorded bassist, male or female, will stand.


Just wanted to say that I thought it was great to work for Brian Wilson. He always was and always has been a good guy, musical genius (us studio musicans all admired him and still do), and a good commander-in-chief.

He wrote practically all the music (once in a while we'd get a lick in but all the notes came from his head), produced it all, and I thought he sung it all, well nearly all. Chuck Britz would just sit by after setting up the board at Western and Brian would also mix it.

Never saw drugs or booze in the studio (one beer one time that's all) and don't know where the dumb books and terrible lying TV stories get their stuff (probably from the same garbage the other music bio book writers get their dirt, so the public will spend good money to read trash), but it was so unlike Brian I almost laughed. You can believe that news media hype if you want to.

But you are right to believe in Brian. He is someone good to believe in. I'm not trying to whitewash anything, just relate the truth about him. What he did in his personal life is none of my business. We all have some tough times, but the fact is when I worked for him a few months ago, he was the same ole Brian, a pleasure to know and work for.

We all respected Brian. Yes, those were 99% his notes. Once in a while we got a lick in, but he arranged, wrote, produced (once the engineer set up the board Chuck usually just sat there) and experimented. This took the time and made the dates long, but it was our job and we liked Brian very much. Still do.


As for Brian Wilson, he's fine, doing well. We did a memorable session together a few months back (with he and his two daughters singing) and it was pretty emotional as it was the first time I've seen him in over 25 years. And while it was a little awkward talking at first, with so much to catch up on, it felt like old times. He's the same Brian I worked for before, cool, calm, very much the boss with the hugely talented ideas and musical genius. Hal Blaine, Tommy Morgan, Dennis Budimer, etc. a few of us oldies with some of the best new younger talents too, all nice great guys, and it was pleasurable. We all had been through the wringer in one way or the other and were glad to see each other. The music was pretty good, a good groove from the start like it was just last month that we last played together.

Brian had his wife and mother there, very nice chatting with them. But I did bring up the fact about that terrible book, crazy phony TV thing about his life (such a pack of lies and slander), and how can people believe such things? But Brian just was unperturbed and kept working doing what he loves, getting the session going. He should be doing film scores with that huge talent he has.

I was told a little later that he hates interviews and will say anything to get rid of the interviewer, even to the point of making up stuff like, "Yeah, I used LSD," which is what they wanted to hear anyway. Just dirt stuff, not really anything truthful.

I never saw drugs with Brian, not even booze. (That's not to say that he didn't do drugs. He says he did some.) One time a beer. Hear that you sleaze rags out there?!!

He was always good to work for, but the dates were long. He loved to experiment, but always paid us well, on time, and joked with us, loved our company and we loved his, always the master at his craft, a really good person too. He ought to sue some of those awful rags for the crap they print about him.


Brian to me is the musical genius that everyone thinks he is. I worked for many many sessions for him. He is one of the greatest people in the world, very kind, very strong. Make that very very strong. And he should have his rightful place in the world amongst the geniuses of the music world. His beauty is apparent in his music, and that's a truth that no one, no matter how hard they try, can take away from him.


Since I hadn't seen Brian in about 25 years, and then to work with him again a few months ago, that was a very emotional time. It was hard to keep on an even keel at first. The emotions ran deep. We all felt the same way, Brian, myself, Hal Blaine, Tommy Morgan, Jay Migliori. It's as if we all had been to hell and back at the same times in our lives and we were still here to record again together. Brian took care of business as usual with his strong personality and self-confidence (fragile mind? are you kidding? Brian was the strongest I ever saw in the studios). There was a lot of chatting going on, his gracious wife and very nice mother were in the booth. We were pretty excited about being around each other again. And the love of his friends was so apparent. It was almost a party. All this and parking places too.

Hal Blaine lightened the mood with his usual jokes and stories. Brian and I awkwardly tried to catch up a little chatting too. Tommy kept saying, "This is the best I've ever seen Brian" and Jay kept smiling from ear to ear, that handsome Italian.

We recorded just one song for Brian and his daughters to sing on: "Everything I Need", but the groove was instaneous. It was like it was last month when we last recorded together, except this time it went through a digital board. It sounded a little different, but eventually Brian got his usual larger-than-life big sound. And then overdubbed accordian and harmonica. I felt like I was transported back to the 60s when we did a lot for Brian.

People ask how Brian communicated to us his ideas. First, he'd bring in music parts, then tell us what he wanted through the mike, or just sitting down and playing piano with us. He was always in total command.


About "Pet Sounds," Brian was in his glory when we first recorded this (Hal Blaine drums, Lyle Ritz on string bass on most, Chuck Berghofer on one, Ray Pohlman on Fender Bass on 4, Barney Kessell - Tommy Tedesco - Bill Pitman - Glen Campbell - Billy Strange are some of the guitarists, Jay Migliori on sax, others too, yours truly on Fender Bass on the rest of the tunes). Among some of my favorites I played on are: "Sloop John B.", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "God Only Knows," "Caroline No," "Let's Go Away For Awhile," "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," "Don't Talk - Put Your Head On My Shoulder," and "Pet Sounds." We knew this was going to be big. Brian had a certain love that was evolving with his talents and this was the best yet to date, something special was going on, we all felt it.

Chuck Britz, the engineer at Western, set up the board as usual, and the rest was done by Brian, who not only co-wrote the songs with Tony Asher, wrote the music parts, but then would proceed to produce and engineer. And sing. One time, he was so proud of a multi-voiced (about 12 tracks or so) thing he single-handedly cut, he played it for us and we were all amazed. Barney Kessel couldn't get over it (and this from a famous jazz man). Yep, we were in awe of Brian, he was scary with all that talent.

It was great to work for him, but it did get tedious at times with all the hours (Hal on his crossword puzzle) and I would chat with the guys etc. Even Lyle Ritz got bored and started a little fire with his music just for fun. Lots of coffee kept us going but Brian knew exactly what he wanted and kept us all going.


People try to compare Brian to Phil Spector, but the two were as different as night and day. And while they both are talented men, just very different in the way they worked too. Phil was more into the whole "spectre" of sound (excuse the pun). He utilized the great echo chambers (designed by Dave Gold) at Gold Star Recorders (Dave Gold & Stan Ross partners) and used Stan Ross at first, but then Larry Levine did all the engineering. Phil would drive him nuts at first, requiring all the levels full blast. Many an ear would ring after hearing a playback. But we knew Phil was after "something" and being the wit he was, it sometimes was "group therapy" night as he'd pick on someone's Achilles heel all in fun. You couldn't take anything Phil did or said to you with great seriousness.

It was also long hours with Phil, 29 long takes, 35 long takes, one song 3 hours and then he'd cut a B side with either Howard Roberts, Tommy Tedesco or Barney playing a jazz guitar solo in one take.

On the Righteous Bros. records, Ray Pohlman (who was the #1 studio recording Fender Bassist in L.A. since the mid-50s, the very first electric bassist) played bass on all those fine hits (I did get to play electric bass on "Soul And Inspiration" though) and Ray did a fine job on "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", "Unchained Melody" etc. I played guitar on those. The room would usually hold a crowd of musicians, Sonny Bono would sit in with the percussion section playing tambourine until Phil would call him saying, "Telephone, Sonny" then as soon as he was out the door, we'd do the take (to the gratefulness of the percussionists). The booth was constantly crowded with people. What a scene, but fun!

We knew as soon as we played them that those tunes would be big hits easily. There were arrangements (usually from Jack Nitzsche who used to work for H.B. Barnum while honing his arranging skills), but we also put a little of our stamp on them, a few licks here, some rhythm patterns there. "Don't move the mikes," Phil would warn if we got up to take our 5-minute break which we were lucky to get. He didn't want anything to touch the "sound-waves" of that room once he had gotten balance. "DON'T MOVE THE MIKES," so we were very careful. The whole band was in the room. Some were playing chess, or throwing darts to naked ladies drawn on the walls. Phil would sometimes dress in outlandish costumes and then use his psychological tricks on us. We were ready for him.

The Blossoms did most of his tracks (didn't matter who the group was) and Larry would shudder when we all got pregnant at the same time but kept on working. You sure saw a lot of Darlene Love, a great person, happy personality and loaded with talent. Us girls would kid a lot, but we all knuckled down to take care of business.

Not enough credit is given to these fine men at Gold Star, Dave Gold, Stan Ross, and Larry Levine, who had a lot to put up with during the heat of those early dates.

While most of the guys loved Phil (I did too, back then), he's called me for work a couple of times, but I had to refuse for various reasons. Just didn't feel right at the time, but I still respect what he did.


About that term "Wrecking Crew". Tommy Tedesco and I were talking about that when we made a filmed interview together talking about the "good ole days" in the studios. It sounds like we're all lumped together as one band, but that's not true. We were all independent. It's just Hal's (editor's note: drummer Hal Blaine) pet term of description.

The film we cut should be about done now and should be very entertaining, the four of us: Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Plas Johnson, and myself talking about so many producers, record dates (not so much about film calls), some of the stars, and what we remembered about those times, especially about Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, Sonny & Cher, other very important dates, incident with the stars, the record companies etc.

We were called "studio musicians" and all belonged to the Local 47 Musician's Union which at that time had about 17,000 members alone in the L.A. area (it's quite a bit smaller now). We worked as "independent contractors", that is, we booked ourselves via having an "answering service" a phone exchange listed in the Union book printed every year, still is reprinted every year.

While it sounds glamorous, it was hard work, and fairly closed to outsiders too. But we all tried to encourage good new talented people when we could. You wanted to surround yourself with the best. A lot more than musicianship was at stake, though. You had to get along with people, be on time, be professional in every way. No soreheads allowed. No one held your hand or played your instrument for you either. You were on your own, but we did have a close-knit feeling among us all. We got hired by word of mouth mostly.

You NEVER turned a record date down, or a movie/TV film call for that matter either or tried not to, and you rarely announced an "out-of-town" vacation too. I remember a particular time when I had to get away, took the kids and housekeeper up to a houseboat in the Bay area, then made it up to a Northern California lake area, just a gorgeous place for the kids. But a movie contractor found me with a well-placed phone call and insisted that I have to come back for a movie score "NOW", and that meant you had to obey. There was a lot of competition out there ready to take your place if you didn't take care of business.

I have in the past recommended several musicians, and only one or two couldn't cut the mustard. One was mostly a record date person and couldn't read well, didn't have the correct instruments, was late, etc. and I was told by the contractor NEVER to recommend that person again or my career was threatened. That's how strict the work is in the movie studios, but this is to be expected. It costs a lot of money to cut a film score.


Fox studios was my favorite studio to record at, although Universal was where I probably did the most. We cut "M*A*S*H" (even got a re-use for that), "Room 222," the "Planet Of The Apes" pictures, and other fine ones there. "Ironside," "Mannix," "Streets Of San Francisco," "Sweet Charity," "Pawnbroker," "Airport" we did at Universal. Warner Bros. was where we did the Cosby TV show and some fine movies, and Paramount some good things too. Goldwyn was a favorite of Quincy Jones' and we cut many of his fine scores there such as "In the Heat Of The Night," "In Cold Blood," and another fine film by another composer, "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner." Goldwyn was where the first talkie with Al Jolson was cut.


A great deal of studio work is fighting boredom while so much technical equipment is readied to make a take, etc. Barney Kessel used to speak of the "dark caverns of the film studios" and they were just that. Most of the time the lights were totally out in the movie studios and just the music stand lights were on as we recorded a film score with our earphones on listening to click tracks that coincided with the frames of the film (a steady metrenome beat) while the movie was shown big-time on the wall somewhere.

Nothing was really cut "ad-lib" (without a beat). It was written to sound that way at times, but there was a click track constantly beating in your head. Counting was the key to not lose your place in the music and the copyist would write indicated cued parts from other instruments just in case to insure correct entrance of your playing part.

It was an exacting business. You didn't feel any tension but you did focus very well and were very aware by listening too. And you read well.


About "Smile," I was listening to some tapes recently and found my voice all over that, laughing teasing the guys, etc. But Brian, that will give you goosebumps any day, no wonder his fans are so fanatical, that music is direct from heaven, the big guy is something else alright.

Some of the "Smile" tracks I played on: "Good Vibrations" (all but one version with string bass), "Do You Like Worms," "Surf's Up," "Heroes & Villains," "Child Is Father Of The Man," "Cabin Essence, "Wind Chimes," "I'm In Great Shape," "Vegetables," "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow," "Love To Say DaDa." I think "Smile" is even deeper than "Pet Sounds" now. He was sure into something.

On one take of "Good Vibrations," you hear me play with Brian during that organ quiet middle part and it's a bass with fuzztone. I used the Maestro box, the same fuzz I used on "In The Heat Of The Night" movie cues with Quincy Jones, but that didn't make to the final version. Brian has a PERFECT sense of time, much better than me, and you hear him play the middle part of "Good Vibrations" on organ. You cannot beat his fine sense of time on the bass pedals. There's even one "Good Vibrations" just with the string bass (by Lyle Ritz).


I've worked with probably the finest drummers in the studios, and was spoiled to some of the finest playing I've ever heard from the likes of: Shelly Manne, Louie Bellson, Earl Palmer, John Guerin, Paul Humphrey, Jack Sperling, Sharky Hall, Charley Blackwell, Jesse Sailes, Frankie Capp, Hal Blaine, Jeff Porcaro, Larry Bunker, Nick Ceroli, Ed Shaughnessey, Jake Hanna, Ed Thigpen, Mel Lewis, Roy McCurdy, James Gadson, Nick Fatool, Alvin Stoller, Panama Francis, Harold Jones, Jim Keltner, Sol Gubin, Harvey Mason, Irv Cottler, Ron Tutt, Jackie Mills, Jim Gordon, to name just a few.


On the session for "The Beat Goes On", I was on acoustic guitar (usually I played electric 12-string fill parts for them but this was different), and the song was played for us. And it sounded like a nothing tune, a one-chord droning on "song" with a boring dotted quarter, then eighth single-noted bassline. That was Bob West on electric bass playing the written part. Well, this was going to be a hard one. I was playing a lot of bass dates already so automatically started to play several made-up basslines to see if I could come up with a rabbit out of a hat for this dog of a tune. About the fourth or fifth line, I came up with the line you hear today. And I do credit Sonny stopping the band and saying, "That's it, Carol. What's that line you're playing" so I played it and he gave it to the bassist, and you hear both of us playing it together which was kind of common in those days, guitar and electric bass together in unison. I wish you could've heard it with the original boring line and then heard the difference. You would know why I think the bassist is the really the arranger of the band. It made the tune happen, and of course made some loot for Sonny & Cher (and a few dimes for the musicians).


Being an experienced musician and loving Latin music, it was easy to make up good samba or conga type bass lines which made the music kind of funky. The lines I came up with in the Cosby "Hikky Burr" have samba, conga and a few blues fills in it too. It's a good study of a good rhythmic piece for bass, but there are many more I played on records, too, such as "Feelin' Alright" with Joe Cocker.

"Feelin' Alright" was cut late in 1968 at Sunset Sound with just Paul Humphrey on drums (and he was wearing his metrenome in his ear too), Artie Butler (who later wrote many fine arrangements and movie scores) on solo piano, David Cohen on guitar, and Lauder on congas in a separate room and Joe in the studio singing. We quickly picked up what they wanted, a latin-soul type of rhythm (there were no charts, it was a two-chord tune only), quickly worked out the verse and chorus parts and the famous instrumental break that Artie played. The great background voices were overdubbed later by sisters Brenda and Pat Holloway and Clydie King.

Paul immediately struck up a semi-samba funk drum part and I went a contrasting way with a rhythm for a bassline. The chorus features the bass playing mostly down beats while Paul was accenting up beats, then we switched places for the verse. It was that simple. Joe had a lot to do with the feel though. He is a very soulful guy and we got along instantly. It was a great date. But the real take (I thought) was the take before the one you hear. I always thought that was the better take, but something happened, erased, or not recorded or something like that. But "Feelin' Alright" was a big hit twice, so I guess that's pretty good.


Something reminded me of the hit date with Barbra Streisand late 1973 that we cut live with all the band and strings at TTG Studios (where Zappa, the Ventures, and others cut also) one night. We ran down the music for any mistakes and took a break waiting for Barbra, she was pretty late. I had to turn down the work on "Hello Dolly" previously at Fox which she sung and starred in, as I was previously booked, so I looked forward finally to work with her.

The huge orchestra finally assembled from our break, and we did 33 straight takes of "The Way We Were" with Barbra singing every one, with Marvin Hamlisch conducting, and the songwriting team (Marilyn & Alan Bergman) in the booth. I had the pleasure of chatting with the Bergmans many times over the years. They had written so many great songs (used on Michel LeGrand scored movies), and you knew this was going to be a biggie. It was rumored to be part of a "hit movie" but this was the single record we were cutting, not the movie score. So the stage was set for something "heavy".

Take after take, we kept going, each take as intensive as the last one, until I looked at Paul Humphrey the drummer like, "When is this going to end?" So I started to really improvise around the written part which up to that point, I had sightread as was up to this 33rd straight take. After a few arpeggios, especially in the bridge, it felt like "the" take, I looked up and caught Ms. Streisand's fast gaze from her little soundbooth as she was holding a long note (through the glass window), our eyes locked like, "Wheeeee. This is it", and finished the take. Paul looked at me and we both smiled, having played on a lot of hits together ("Feelin' Alright" w/Joe Cocker etc.) We knew this was the take, too.

So we cut one more tune and packed that one away. I meant to walk up to at least meet her, but the whole band, about 50 pieces, beat me to it, so I walked out, waving bye to Marvin (boy, was he happy), and also waving at the engineers, studio owner Ami Hadani, and also Fred Smith, who earlier had written hits like "Western Movies" etc.(working as 2nd engineer). I remember how peaceful the world felt as I drove home that night. Another day of pretty music well-done, another good hit. That record is really my favorite recording I'd have to say. It meant a lot to me as I had some personal past to think about too.


"Memories." Yeah, a great sentimental song. Barbra really sang it. The last take was her best, and I don't think Barbra overdubbed that vocal again. That was her at her best.


Subject: Re: "Did we record the Monkees?" You bet we did. Almost the same crew as who had cut the Beach Boys things. The first two albums. In fact, the way the Monkees got started is that we had cut many fine tracks for another group which never came to pass, and then they used that stuff to help form another group which became the Monkees. Never really saw them much (as far as I can remember) and just did tracks, that is the basic music without the singing.

Hal Blaine (drummer) did a seminar once down here in San Diego this year and he told of one day when we were recording their stuff in the big studio at the new RCA studios, that the Monkees were simultaneously holding a press conference in the smaller studio next door, pretending that they were in the middle of "their" recording session (it was all a fake) and that it was "untrue" about the rumors that they didn't play on their own records. We just laughed at that at the time, but they keep trying to pretend about those dates. I do have to say that I personally thought that the Monkees were very nice guys, though, versus other groups we worked for who were a little egotistic, etc.


My radio just played "Sloop John B," one of my favorite records. I loved it when we cut it, and even today just the same. That's Billy Strange playing guitar you hear a lot on it. Brian Wilson asked me to use a lot more treble sound than I ordinarily did (my Fender 4-10 open back amp was miked), but that's where I came in isn't it. Brian Wilson, the best of them all, the kid did good.

Thanks for writing. Carol Kaye.


A more detailed list of Carol Kaye's electric bass session work: The Beach Boys: "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Help Me Rhonda," "Good Vibrations," "Caroline No," "Sloop John B," "Heroes and Villains," "California Girls," most of Pet Sounds LP. Electric guitar on an earlier hit, "Surfin' USA." Plus work for Joe Cocker ("Feelin' Alright") Barbra Streisand ("The Way We Were"), the Marketts ("Batman Theme"), Simon & Garfunkel ("Homeward Bound"), the Righteous Brothers ("Soul & Inspiration"), Ike and Tina Turner ("River Deep Mountain High"), Ray Charles ("America The Beautiful" & "Don't Change On Me" & "I Don't Need No Doctor" & "I Chose To Sing The Blues" & "Understanding" & "Feel So Bad") Brenda Holloway ("You Made Me So Very Happy"), Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass ("Whipped Cream"), Andy Williams ("Love Story"), Lou Rawls (""Natural Man," "Unforgettable" and "Tobacco Road"), Glen Campbell ("Wichita Lineman" and others), Motherlode ("When I Die"), Frank and Nancy Sinatra ("Something Stupid"), Nancy Sinatra ("These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," "Sugar Town") plus the Monkees, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, the Buckinghams, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Gary Usher, Gary Puckett and Union Gap, Bill Cosby ("Hikky Burr" with him and Quincy Jones, "Chump Change" with Quincy also). Did over 10,000 recording sessions in Los Angeles. Was first call on elecric bass from 1964 through about 1974, but played electric bass on all sessions from 1963 through last thing I did, the theme for "Soap" TV series (1981). Guitar hits: "La Bamba" Ritchie Valens, "Zippity Doo Dah" Bob B. Soxx & Blue Jeans, "Unchained Melody" & "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" Righteous Bros., "The Beat Goes On" (he used my bass line doubled with bassist Bob West) & "He's A Rebel", "I Got You Babe" & "Baby Don't Go" & "All I Really want To Do)" & "Bang Bang" Sonny & Cher (& "Alfie" Cher), "Danke Shoen" Wayne Newton, "Mexican Shuffle" Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, "Mothers Of Invention & Freak Out LPs w/Frank Zappa.

TV Shows: "Mission Impossible", "M.A.S.H.", "Room 222", Kojac, "Hawaii 5-O" (played bass on Ventures' thing of this), "Ironside", "McCloud," "Addams Family," first Cosby TV (Quincy Jones), "The Streets Of San Francisco," "Brady Bunch," "Hogan's Heroes," "Alice," "Cannon," "Soap," "The Paper Chase," "Mannix," "It Takes A Thief," "Wonder Woman," "Peyton Place," "The Love Boat," "Get Smart," "FBI," etc. A few movies: "Airport," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Walk, Don't Run," "Sweet Charity," "The New Centurions," "The Pawnbroker," "Slender Thread," "Plaza Suite," "Smokey and the Bandit," "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," "Beneath The Planet of the Apes."


 

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Monkees' Micky Dolenz-Christian Nesmith-Circe Link EP is a delightful surprise

 By Steve Marinucci

7/7/2016

Solo projects appear and disappear with little ripple at times. But the Micky Dolenz-Christian Nesmith-Circle Link vinyl EP on 7a Records does not deserve to go quietly. It is a wonderful, if short, musical trip that's a pure delight. According to Christian Nesmith, Mike's son, the recordings came from his and Circe Link’s live streaming show when Dolenz was a guest. The songs are all acoustic versions.

Side A features a medley of two songs, “Porpoise Song” and “Good Morning, Good Morning.” “Porpoise Song,” probably the quintessential psychedelic tune, is much more relaxed here. And for maybe the first time, you can hear all the words! It goes into “Good Morning, Good Morning,” the “Sgt. Pepper” Beatles song that Dolenz saw being recording when he met the Beatles in London in 1966.

Side 2 opens with “Crying in the Rain,” the song written by Carole King and Harold Greenfield and done by many including the Everly Brothers, Peter & Gordon, Bobby Vee and Tammy Wynette. The version here is a great version that Dolenz, who normally is heard singing rock, sings very tenderly, backed by Nesmith and Link. It's followed by another Monkees song, “Randy Scouse Git,” which gets quite a different sound when it's done acoustically. 

Only 500 copies of the EP are being pressed on purple, translucent vinyl.  7a would not say for sure whether the tracks will be available on CD at a later date, but hopefully these songs will get wider distribution. They deserve it. And hopefully, there will be more where these tracks came from. 

Rating: Four stars (out of four).

7a Records also recently put out another unusual release featuring Dolenz, a two-CD “An Evening With Peter Noone & Micky Dolenz.” This is exactly what it says – a recorded talk between two music veterans, although in a room full of people.

The men discuss their careers – Noone talking about his performing at an early age and working with Herman's Hermits, while Dolenz talks about his pre-Monkees career, his audition for the show and what it was like being a Monkee. There's a lot of material between the two CDs, including several new stories.
You get to be a fly on the wall for their revelations. It's an unpretentious and casual conversation with no pressure.

Rating: Three stars


"How we got engaged" ... a proposal at a McCartney concert that Paul acknowledged

Paul McCartney's Up & Coming Tour -- Thursday, August 19, 2010

"There have many wonderful stories during the Up and Coming Tour, what with all the people who lived their dream to meet Paul McCartney. But how about this? Proposing to your girlfriend during a show and having it acknowledged by Paul McCartney.

It happened in Pittsburgh on Aug. 19th. Here is Luke and Michaela's story as they sent it to us."  

"Our 15 minutes of fame came with a little luck, a little planning but really, it was all due to the generosity of one Sir Paul McCartney. I had planned to surprise Michaela by taking her to the show. I asked her to go to Pittsburgh on the 19th without telling her why. The subterfuge would not last. She soon went to the web, typed in Pittsburgh, August 19th... and bingo! Staring back from her monitor were countless entries about the concert.

In the days that followed, she never let on that she knew, though I always suspected she did. I let her think that I didn't know that she knew. I wanted to surprise her. She wanted me to have fun surprising her. Ah, the games lovers play!

While the concert didn't come as a shock to her, the front row tickets did. I warned that our seats might not be as good as the ones we'd had in Vegas for Macca's show at The Joint last year. They could have an "obstructed view". (You never know just where they're going to put the speakers, right?)

We entered the floor area from the back of the arena. Each step drew us closer to the stage. Upon reaching the halfway point, she turned to me and said "Exactly what row are we?"

"One", I replied. Her smile was priceless.

Upon reaching our seats, Michaela began phoning her parents and friends, excitedly telling them that we were in the front row. While she was doing that, I scanned the vicinity for anyone who looked like they might be able to get a note to Paul. Hope began to dim when I realized that most of the people in the area were locally hired security. I thought to myself, "Oh well, it was a longshot at best".

In any case, I was determined to pop to question during MY LOVE. I mean, how cool is that? Asking the woman you adore to marry you while Paul McCartney is just a few feet away, singing the greatest love song ever written...should make a woman feel special.

Eventually, a lovely lady by the name of Shelley appeared in the restricted area. She began talking with the guards. "Oh, everyone is so emotional backstage. We were all crying back there because tonight is the last show of the tour." she said.

It's now or never.

I approached Shelley with a previously typed note. The heading was simple enough... MARRIAGE PROPOSAL IN THE FRONT ROW TONIGHT. The letter went on to explain that I was going to ask Michaela to marry me during the guitar solo of MY LOVE and that it would mean the world to us if Paul could congratulate us from the stage.

I handed the paper to Shelley, asking if she could take the note backstage.

"Who do you want me to give it to?" she asked.

"Paul, if possible". I revealed the contents and that the element of surprise was key.

She smiled and said, " I'll give it to his head of security." I thanked her and quietly returned to my chair.

A few minutes had passed when I noticed several people in the secure area were looking and pointing at me. Finally, an older, tough looking gent motioned for me to go over there.

"Is this your letter?" His accent sounded like he'd seen his share of fisticuffs in the pubs of England.

"Yes"

"I'm Paul's head of security. I had to come out and eyeball you to make sure you're not a looney."

"I understand completely."

"When do you want to do this?"

"During 'My Love'."

"Right. We'll see what we can do." He disappeared behind the black curtains and velvet ropes.

By this time, Michaela had become curious about my dealings with people I'd never met before now.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Oh, I just sent back a fan letter."

"You're lying."

My beloved knows that I'm not the fawning admirer type. Because of my line of work, I've met famous people from time to time and have never written to a celebrity...until now.

"Well, I was hoping to get an autograph." That response seemed to placate her.

The show started. Everyone knows how wonderful that moment was. Paul strolled onstage. "Venus and Mars" rolled into "Rockshow." We were off and running.

Knowing the setlist in advance was like being on a Saturn 5 rocket waiting for liftoff. I knew that "My Love" would be the 11th song. With each passing tune, a most important milestone approached.

"Jet." "All My Loving." "Letting Go."

Sweaty palms...(Good Lord! I'm in junior high again)

"Drive My Car." "Highway." "Let Me Roll It."

Hey...I haven't seen the ring since leaving Indianapolis! Is it still in the box?!?!

"Long and Winding Road."

Ring check good. Michaela was facing the stage the entire time so she never saw me sneak a peek.

"Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five."

Tunnel vision.

"Let 'Em In."

A heart is pounding in my chest. Hopefully, I'll get to propose before the coronary strikes.

Then...a long single note from Wix as Paul introduces "My Love."

The first chord hits. I look at Shelley. She had reappeared along with a number of staff/relatives in the aisle. They were all anxiously waiting for the big moment.

She smiled. "Yes, this is it...go for it!"

Paul was singing. Our little portion of the world grew suddenly brighter. A spotlight was shining down on us. So much for waiting on the guitar solo. I worried that the tech director

would think I was chickening out if I didn't do it right then and there.

So I jumped my cue. I took Michaela by the shoulders, turning her to me. The ring box opened.

"I love you Michaela. Will you marry me?"

With a sudden look of shock, hands to face, tears welling in her eyes my one, my only, my all... said "Yes".

We held each other. The crowd reaction was incredible.

I slipped the ring on her finger...another embrace.

Once again, 19,000 people cheered with us.

As we looked to the stage, Paul smiled at us and gave us the thumbs up. When the song was done, he rose from the piano, looked at us, made the heart symbol

and another thumbs up.

He then approached the center mic and said to me, "I heard you were going to do that!" "Wait a minute, did she say yes?" After I got a confirming nod from Michaela, Sir Paul replied, "Ok, just checking." He then said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, that's Luke and Michaela. They're officially engaged."

We smiled back, trying to yell thank you to him as Michaela waved her new ring and nodded.

Later in the concert, someone held up a sign requesting "Ram On." Paul obliged. As he sang "Give your heart to somebody soon right away..right away"

he looked at us again, gave us a sign of togetherness and hope by raising crossed fingers and thumbs up once more.

Upon leaving the arena, we were greeted by so many well-wishers. Everyone of them was so very kind. We were truly touched. It was an incredible evening for us, the happiest. Imagine, proposing to the woman you love, her acceptance and then the first person to congratulate you and announce your engagement is none other than

Sir Paul McCartney.

Such an incredibly generous act from a man who has already given so much of himself to the world. We can't thank him enough.

As for the marriage plans, no date has been set. After all, this was a surprise. The only people with advance knowledge were my mother and the staff at the

jewelry store in Indianapolis. It's been more than a week since it all took place. Our sleep cycle has yet to return to normal. We're still basking in the glow of it all. The concert, the great seats, the kindness of a living legend and a promise to each other to live out our lives together all combine for the memory of a lifetime.

Every time I think about it I'm stunned. I'm shocked.

No. Maybe I'm amazed."

Luke & Michaela

August 2010


  








April 14, 2016: Fans show support after Ringo Starr cancels show to protest North Carolina law

 

By Steve Marinucci
April 14, 2016

Ringo Starr became the latest to protest a controversial new law in North Carolina by announcing in a statement issued on April 13 that he was canceling an upcoming concert by himself and the All-Starr Band in the state. House Bill 2 law says the LBGT community can use only the bathroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate. The statement's posting on his Facebook page has received over 18,000 likes since Wednesday.
The concert was scheduled for June 18 at Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary, North Carolina. “I'm sorry to disappoint my fans in the area, but we need to take a stand against this hatred. Spread peace and love,” Starr said. “How sad that they feel that this group of people cannot be defended." His statement also asked his fans to support those working to overturn the law.

Starr becomes the latest to object to the law, which was passed by the state legislature in reaction to a bill in Charlotte, North Carolina, that would have allowed transgender people to use the restroom of the gender they identify with. Bruce Springsteen recently canceled a concert in the state because of the bill. In a statement, he said, “Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.”

In addition to the LBGT section, the law also includes provisions restricting expanding work anti-discrimination protections. It was pushed through the state's General Assembly in a special session, according to CNN.

Fox and A&E have also recently threatened to not film any projects in the state because of the law, according to Variety. The NBA has also threatened to move its All-Star Game in 2017 unless the law is repealed. Hundreds of North Carolina residents participated in a rally in Raleigh on April 8 objecting to the law, ABC 11 reported. The ACLU has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law, according to NPR.

Tickets purchased for the June 18 concert through the box office using a credit card and also by phone or online will be refunded automatically to the original credit card holder, the venue said. But those purchased with cash must be returned to the box office for a refund.

Bruce Spizer previews new book on Beatles’ Parlophone record releases

 by Steve Marinucci

Beatles Examiner (www.examiner.com)

April 2, 2011

Bruce Spizer’ encyclopedic books on the American releases by the Beatles have been outstanding sources of information for the detail-driven Beatles collector. These books have included “The Beatles Story on Capitol Records,” “Songs, Pictures and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles Records on Vee-Jay,” “The Beatles on Apple Records”, “The Beatles Solo on Apple Records” and “The Beatles’ Swan Song.”

Moving on to the British releases was the next logical step. His next book, “The Beatles For Sale on Parlophone Records,” will be published in October.

In a phone interview with Beatles Examiner, Spizer said the idea for the book came last year from Frank Daniels, co-author (with Perry Cox) of “Price Guide for the Beatles’ American Records,” for which Spizer wrote the foreward. Daniels also assisted Spizer with “The Beatles’ Swan Song,” Spizer’s sixth and final book on the Beatles’ American releases that covered records on the Swan, United Artists, MGM, Decca, Atco and Polydor labels.

“Frank Daniels had sent me an email suggesting I do such a book with him. And Frank had said for the last couple of years, he had been compiling information about all the different label variations of the Beatles’ UK recordings and felt that there should be a book on it and wanted me to do it,” Spizer said. “Frank and I have had a good working relationship before.”

He says the challenge for the Parlophone book was different than his other on the Beatles’ releases. “In this one, what made it more difficult for me was that was that when I started the book project, I did not own a lot of British Beatles records.”

Also, he said, “the British had a tendency to constantly tweak their labels. Some of that was due to the fact that in the early days, they were using film for the label copy for the film, but actually typesetting. So each time they ran out of a label and printed up more, they had to re-typeset it. So in the case of the EPs, you might have a dozen different label variations for a record.”

The worst example of this, he said, was the EP “The Beatles Hits.” “Part of the problem was that they might say, ‘Well, this EP will sell about 40,000 copies,’ and they’ll press 40,000 of them. When they realize they needed more, they’d say, ‘Let’s do another 20,000.’ Then those sold out, and they were like, ‘Oh, my gosh!’ I think they never realized how many copies they could sell. So they never printed enough labels. I noticed it more with the EPs than the singles.”

“What the book does,” Spizer says, “it shows the records that came out in the ’60s, and as such, with the EPs, you’ll know what the jackets look like. You’ll also know that they were laminated. So if you have a jacket that isn’t laminated and has interior folds, then it’s a later jacket most likely from the mid to late ’70s.”

Spizer says he started thinking about the book last spring, committed to doing it last summer and completed it in about a year. “I wanted to go to England first and do some research, then decide whether or not I thought I could do a job that would live up to my prior books.

“I spent a lot of time at the British library going through music magazines and found Record Retailer very helpful,” he said.

“I really approach the project the same way I do a lawsuit,” said Spizer, who’s a lawyer when he’s not writing Beatles books, “in that I want to be very thorough, go through whatever documents I can, interview whatever people I feel will add to it. But at the end of the day, I want to put it together quickly and don’t want to ask for a continuance, as it were.”

The interviews in the book were taken from prior talks with George Martin and Beatles engineer Ken Townshend. He also credited Roy Matthews, who had worked for EMI beginning in the mid ’50s at their factory in Hayes. “Roy was very helpful, had a wonderful memory and went over all sorts of things, such as the actual process of pressing the records, how many records could be pressed in an hour and things of that nature,” he said.

The official release date for the 444-page book is Oct. 5, which is also the 49th anniversary of Parlophone 4949, the Beatles’ “Love Me Do” single. The book includes a pamphlet that has a checklist of the Beatles’ record releases in England from ’62-’70 and ads from dealers who specialize in UK records.

The book, which costs $69.98 for the book itself (with slipcase and collector’s editions also available), can be pre-ordered now through Spizer’s website, www.beatle.net. He says anyone who pre-orders the book before mid-July will receive it around August “if all goes as planned.”

He says he hopes to have the book available at the Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans Aug. 5-7 and the Liverpool Beatle convention during International Beatles Week Aug. 25-31.

[stextbox id=”black”]This article is the original work of Steve Marinucci. Under no circumstance may any portion of this article be broadcast, copied, published, rewritten or used without the permission of the author. To purchase this or any other article by Steve Marinucci, please email beatlesexaminer@gmail.com.[/stextbox]

Source: Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/beatles-in-national/bruce-spizer-previews-new-book-on-beatles-parlophone-record-releases#ixzz1OVRSxZGi


Who’s the Real Sgt. Pepper? New Beatles Book Unveils Identity of Soldier Seen on Album Cover

 by Steve Marinucci

Published in Variety, May 13, 2017

While the picture of the man depicting “Sgt. Pepper” in the Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album looks like a character out of a story book, he was actually a real person. His name was James Melvin Babington, and author Bruce Spizer says his new book  “The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper: A Fans’ Perspective,” reveals his identity and a little of his history for the first time.

Spizer, who talked about the discovery and the book this week on the weekly Beatles podcast “Things We Said Today,” credited the find to Frank Daniels, who wrote an essay for the book on Babington under the pseudo name Max Gretinski. “Both of us try to top each other with finding obscure stuff that I jokingly say only you, me and 15 other people in the world will care about,” Spizer told the radio show. Babington’s identity was confirmed by one of the men who were involved with creating the cover, Spizer said.

In the essay, Gretinksi (Daniels) details some of Babington’s military history, including his service in the 16th Queen’s Lancers in the Second Boar War and the First Calvary Brigade in South Africa. While much wasn’t known about his history in 1967, Babington’s face was, the essay says, because it was included in the book “Celebrities of the Army.”

“You knew about Beatle cards, but in the UK they had military history cards. And Major Gen. Babington was also one of these people that was on a card,” Spizer said. “So I think the artists got the idea to have the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ cutout card from those cards and out of those cards picked this one as their model.”

And there’s no question about whether the picture in the “Sgt. Pepper” album is Babington. The book includes side-by-side pictures of Babington and the mythical Sgt. Pepper. “As they said in ‘Yellow Submarine,’ the resemblance is uncanny,” Spizer quipped.

The discovery comes on the heels of the release of several CD sets by the Beatles May 26 that include a new remix of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by Giles Martin, son of the late Sir George Martin, and Sam Okell based on the original monaural mix which was preferred by the Beatles and that had several differences from the stereo mix. The largest set, six discs with four CDs, a DVD and a Blu-ray disc, includes the remix, discs of album outtakes, rarities and a monaural version of the album, plus video content.

Restorer of Beatles Film ‘Yellow Submarine’ Talks ‘State of the Art’ Version Coming to Big Screen For 50th Anniversary

 7/9/2018 by 

The animated film Yellow Submarine has been shown a lot of love from both The Beatles and the public in its 60 years since its release in 1968. Starting today (July 9), to celebrate the movie’s 50th anniversary, fans in the U.S. will be treated to theater screenings of the best-looking version of the film they’ve ever seen….

When the film was originally released a half-century ago, the expectations weren’t high for it, according to Beatles historian and author Bruce Spizer. “No one really expected much from the Yellow Submarine feature-length cartoon,” he offers. “The Beatles were not enthusiastic about the film, perhaps concerned over how they were depicted in the [U.S. Saturday morning] cartoon series. United Artists refused to count the cartoon as the third Beatles film under its contract with the group, agreeing only to serve as the distributor for the movie. But when it came out, the film exceeded all expectations. It was psychedelic, hip and funny. Visually it was like a Peter Max painting come to life. It was full of countless puns. Its message was the power of music and love.”

“When Yellow Submarine was first released back in 1968, it was understood as a kind of ‘head movie,’ the sort of film you go to see after dosing yourself in advance with hallucinogens,” Dr. Kenneth Womack, Dean of Social Studies and Humanities at Monmouth University and author of several Beatles books, tells Billboard. His books on the Fab Four include a two-volume biography of the group’s producer Sir George Martin of which the second volume, Sound Pictures, will be published in September.

“But at the same time, it presaged today’s animated masterworks, where fun-loving characters and their colorful environs delight children, while the screenplay is laden with just enough sophisticated humor and punning wordplay to capture adult imaginations,” he continues. “The upgrades to the film, including the digital treatment of the music and the animation, have rendered Yellow Submarine into a much sharper and more engrossing experience. For viewers who have seen the movie in its various incarnations since its premiere, each new version has breathed fresh life into the film, making for an evolving experience that pays dividends with each subsequent viewing.”

Yellow Submarine serves as the perfect way for fans to introduce The Beatles to their children and grandchildren, or just to share the experience with them,” Spizer says. “The film is as fresh, clever and exciting 60 years on as it was in 1968. It’s all in the mind, you know.”

Spizer will be introducing the film at several screenings July 13 through 15 at the Prytania Theatre in New Orleans.





Monday, March 17, 2025

It was Wings and a whole lot more for Henry McCullough

8/5/2011  

Henry McCullough has had a great career. It includes touring with Jimi Hendrix, Spooky Tooth, playing at Woodstock and on the original recording of "Jesus Christ Superstar" as well a wide range of sessions. With Beatle fans, he's also known for a great time with Paul McCartney and Wings.

McCullough is on the phone from Scotland talking in his soft brogue. He says his career started long before Wings in dance bands. 

"I was only young. I only knew about three chords," he says. "I asked the tenor player years later, 'How did I ever get the gig with you guys?' She says, 'Henry, it wasn't what you were playing. It was the noise you were making.

"And that's what it would have sounded like. These guys they used to sit down with little music stands. And you would play for four, five hours, sometimes six hours. You learned how to play old time waltzes and old-time waltz songs and all the rest of it. And it stood me in good stead in that original show band gig. Blues was unheard of, apart from what you could buy, LPs in the music shop. You would never have gotten away with it in the early '60s in Ireland. Ireland was pretty backwards then, as well.

"So it was dances that brought people together and it was a great apprenticeship for me."

McCullough says being at Woodstock was an incredible experience. "Joe Cocker was really shouting out. And, of course, with the Grease Band ... we'd worked together for a few years, so we were a very tight unit. And the only way to get the bands in was to fly them in to the backstage area. The place was just swamped with people. Miles and miles and miles. It was unbelievable. I remember coming into Woodstock over the crowd by helicopter.

"After Woodstock, it was that hippie thing. Peace and light whatever it was that was going on at the time. That changed. You had Altamont and whatever it was. Everybody had a lot of bad energy, compared to the Woodstock days. But I think the Woodstock gig finished all that sort of stuff. But it was magnificient," he says.

"On the day we never got to go and mix with any people apart from the people backstage. You're flown in and you hung around with the people backstage, you did your gig, you hung around for another little while, you got on the helicopter back to the Holiday Inn and you're away off to Atlantis or Georgia for some other gig or festival. It was in and out, but you could not mistake the feeling of peace and love and understanding," he said.

McCullough said he had no idea "Jesus Christ Superstar," on which he played guitar on the original studio release, would become the global sensation it did.

"None whatsoever," he says in answer to a question about its influence today. "It was the Grease Band that did that -- Henry McCullough, Alan Spenner, Bruce Rowland. The Grease Band wasn't doing very much. We were at loose ends. We ended up doing a lot of session work for Donovan, 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' 'Evita,' Eric Burdon. A lot of people. It's what kept the band alive."

 He got connected with Wings while he was still involved with the Grease Band. "It was when the Grease Band was doing stuff. And I had known Denny Laine from different places. He asked me if I would be interested in taking a gig with Paul McCartney? And I said, 'Of course.' Who wouldn't have wanted to do it at that particular stage? We got invited out to this show with Paul. And we hadn't met before. And we jammed for three days and played a bit of this and a bit of that and stuff. And after the third day, he says, 'Great, Henry. Do you want to join a band?' And I said, 'Of course, of course.' And that was it.

 "We give our hearts to each other. And that's the way it was. It was a very special time. And when you were through that with somebody like Paul, in my case I always felt very protective of him."

 McCullough tells a story about a reunion with Denny Laine.

 "We were up in Scotland and Denny was playing the night before we due to play. We were staying at the same hotel. The gig was downstairs. And I went down to say hello and it was the first time I'd seen him since 1973, '74. So it was nice to see him. And he says, 'Will you come to play a tune?' And I said, 'Sure.' At the end of his concert, he says, 'There's a man here. We've played together and he's going to come up and join us for this song that Paul and I wrote.' Well, the minute I heard that I was out the door like a rocket. And I went up and actually locked meself in the bedroom. If it's one song I never wanted to play, it was 'Mull of Kintyre.' I know the effect it had on people, but after having left it behind, I just couldn't do it."

 Paul McCartney acknowledged Henry's contributions when he was on tour in Dublin.

 "It was a very generous thing for him to do. I'd been in touch with the office through Denny Seiwell. And I said to him, 'Can you give Paul a ring and tell him I want to see the gig in Dublin?' And he got back fairly sharp and said, 'It's all arranged, Henry.' And so we went down to Dublin and talked for about 40 minutes.

 "And he was due on stage at 8:15. And at five minutes to eight we were still talking. And I said, 'I'm going to go here and give you a minute to yourself.' He says, 'The guitar player in the band is going to be playing the solo in 'My Love.' And he said, 'I want to bring you in and acknowledge you're here.' So he was able to get the numbers of our seat. And halfway through, he said, 'This is a song I'm dedicating to a man in the audience.' He was ever so generous. I took a bow, but I was also waving at the same time. And he was very kind with his words. I think I signed more autographs in the toilet at the 02 in Dublin where Paul played than I done in these last 15 years."

 He describes his new album, "Unfinished Business" on the Silverwolf label as the best Sunday morning album ever. It's a album that shows off his musical roots and includes some songs from other artists he's worked with through the years, including a remake of Paul McCartney and Wings' "Big Barn Bed." It also includes a song Ronnie Lane called "Kuschty Rye." The Grease Band played with Lane and the Faces on an American tour.

 McCullough says he's a survivor, but he's loved it all. 

 "Lot of stuff I've done over the years. But I look back at it now and I say, 'Jesus, how did I get through that?' My whole career has been fantastic from the minute I got onstage."

Saturday, March 15, 2025

SPECIAL - LISTEN TO ALL OF OUR BEATLES NEWS BRIEFS PODCAST FROM FIRST TO LAST

Use the arrow on the side to scroll down. We hope you will enjoy the shows!

  

Friday, March 14, 2025

Beatles Engineer John Kurlander Remembers the Making of ‘Abbey Road’

Variety

9/27/2019

By Steve Marinucci


For veteran recording engineer John Kurlander, this week’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles “Abbey Road” album — complete with a multi-disc box set — is especially sweet. Kurlander, now 68, was principal second engineer on the album, when he was just 18 years old. But he had his first look at the building the album is named for – then called EMI Studios – years earlier.

“When I was 13, my class and I went to the studios to record some sound effects for a drama recording they were doing,” he recalls. “And I think it could have been ‘Help’ that the Beatles recording at the time. All their equipment was set up in Studio Two, and I thought this is really what I want to do.” After he left school at 16, he applied to work there and was hired just days after an interview.

He started working on Beatles projects early in 1969 at the request of then-chief engineer Geoff Emerick. His first Beatles work was on the single “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” which many people don’t know was sung and performed entirely by John Lennon (guitars, piano) and Paul McCartney (bass, drums). Lennon was in a hurry, and George Harrison and Ringo Starr weren’t in town.

“It was quite unusual,” Kurlander says, “but almost didn’t feel like a Beatles session because it was just the two of them.”

Fans will hear a different version of “Oh Darling” among the outtakes on the new “Abbey Road” set, with a more energetic vocal than the familiar original album version. Kurlander says McCartney, who lived near the studio at the time, came in early on several succeeding days, without a warm-up, to do test vocalizing.

 “He did that for, like, a whole week, and then he said, ‘Okay, now let’s have a playback and we’ll listen to all of them. He then just picked the one he liked best. I don’t remember too much conversation of why he liked that one better, it was just an interesting idea that he had to experiment the way that the vocal performances were done and chosen.”
John Kerlander, 1969

Other outtakes on the set include the original demo for George Harrison’s “Something,” which was later covered by countless artists, including Frank Sinatra set. “I don’t think that people like Sinatra would have been drawn to it if they’d just heard the demo,” Kurlander says. He credits Harrison’s work in the studio on the song for the acclaim it has just received because of “the way that the production of it pulled it together.”

One  “Abbey Road” outtake that is dramatically different from the finished version is “The Long One,” the early incarnation of the Side Two medley. Here, the song “Her Majesty,” which closes the original album, is heard before “Polythene Pam.” After hearing the run through, McCartney said to throw out “Her Majesty,” but fate — and Kurlander — intervened.

”This was the day that I found out that this whole thing was to be a medley,” he recalls. “We joined it all together. It was about two or three o’clock in the morning and after a very long day, we played the whole thing through for the first time. Paul said, ‘Look, I don’t think ‘Her Majesty’ works. So just cut it out,’ and he left and went home.

“So it was my job to tidy up the housekeeping. And there was a piece of tape which was only 20 seconds long lying on the floor. There is an [EMI] rule that says if you remove something from a master tape, it has to go at the end, after a long piece of red leader tape. Everyone else had gone home, so I decided to just tag it on at the end. Then [longtime Beatles assistant] Mal Evans took the tape, and the next morning they had a reference acetate cut from it by Malcolm Davis, Apple’s cutting engineer.”

Davis left “Her Majesty” in, cut the reference of the medley, and brought it in the next day at lunchtime and played it through.

“And then this thing [‘Her Majesty] crashes in, because it still had the crossfade on,” Kurlander says. “Paul was probably the most surprised, because his last word on the subject was ‘Just get rid of it.’”

Kurlander went on to work on several Beatles solo albums and albums by Badfinger, Mary Hopkin, Peter Noone, Fela Kuti, Renaissance and video game soundtracks, and has won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards for work on “Lord of the Rings” soundtrack albums.

But one very lasting memory he says he took away from the “Abbey Road” sessions wasn’t from behind the control boards.

“It was very late at night,” he recalls. “And Paul came over to me, and he could see that I was kind of exhausted. And he says, ‘So what would you say is your favorite album?’ Maybe he was thinking I’d say ‘Sgt. Pepper’ or possibly ‘Revolver.’”

But 18-year-old Kurlander told him it was the Beach Boys’ 1966 classic, “Pet Sounds.” McCartney, who has said that album inspired “Sgt. Pepper,” approved. But even all these years later, Kurlander still can’t believe his teenage audacity.

He laughs, “How can I have said that?”

John Kerlander, 2019