April 16th, 1966 allotted the eighth recording session for what
became the bandmates “Revolver” album. The Beatles entered EMI Studio Two for
an eight-hour recording session (2:30 to 10:30 pm) to concentrate solely on
their new song “Dr. Robert.” All of the
recorded instruments for the song took place on this day, the rhythm track
consisting of John on electric guitar, George on electric guitar, Paul on bass
and Ringo on drums. Seven takes of the
song ran the gamut, take seven being deemed best and ready for overdubs. The song was 2:56 long on this take and ended
with John saying something that sounds like “OK Herb.”
The overdubs consisted of John on harmonium in the bridges, George
on lead guitar and maracas throughout the entire song and, reportedly, Paul on
piano, although this was apparently mixed out of the recording entirely. By 10:30 pm, they quit for the day; the only
thing left to complete the song was the vocals.
Two days later, on April 19th, 1966, they returned to EMI Studio
Two at 2:30 pm to record the vocals and, thereby finish “Dr. Robert.” John apparently performed his lead vocals simultaneously
with Paul’s harmony vocals with George chiming in on the “well, well, well”
vocals in the bridges.
The customary double-tracked vocals of the previous two years had
a new engineering advancement invented by EMI staff member Ken Townsend they dubbed
“Artificial Double Tracking” (or ADT for short). By copying the recorded vocal track to a
separate machine with a variable oscillator, which allowed you to alter the
speed of the recording, and then recording it back to the original tape on top
of the recorded vocal, they could create a double image of the sound with one
of the images slightly out of time with the first by maybe just a few
milliseconds. This created an effect
that somewhat mimicked what double-tracking could do, although a discerning ear
can still tell the difference. Since it
saved time, this new process was used quite regularly by The Beatles from 1966
on, a good portion of “Revolver” including this technique. George Harrison once exclaimed that Ken
Townsend should receive a medal for this invention!
With this session lasting until midnight, it appears that this was
an awfully long time to be spent in the recording studio just to perform vocals
for one song. One explanation for this
is a recollection of the “Revolver” sessions by engineer Geoff Emerick in his
book “Here, There And Everywhere.” He
remembers, “Looking back, I think one of the reasons I was able to come up with
so many innovative sounds on ‘Revolver’ was the sheer amount of time George
Martin spent in the studio working out complex vocal harmonies with John, Paul,
and George Harrison. It was a long
process, but the results were always spectacular. The four of them would gather around the
piano for hours on end, practicing their parts endlessly.” Listening to the intricate winding harmonies
in the bridges of “Dr. Robert” (“well, well, well, you’re feeling fine…”)
indicates this may have been one of those sessions. It may have taken a long time to perfect, but
the result was “spectacular” indeed.
Also, three mono mixes of the song were performed at the end of
this session by Martin, Emerick and 2nd engineer Phil McDonald, although none
of these were ever released.
The first mono mix of “Dr. Robert” that saw the light of day was
performed on May 12th, 1966 in the control room of EMI Studio Three by Martin,
Emerick and 2nd engineer Jerry Boys.
This mono mix arose in response to a request from Capitol Records in
America for three new Beatles songs to fill out their soon to be released
“Yesterday…And Today” album. As with all
of the released mixes of the song, it was edited down to 2:13, removing 43
seconds just before the first bridge.
This mix was unique for the US because the EMI staff created a new mono
mix for its British release over five weeks later.
Some unique features of this mix included the noticeable edit where
the 43 seconds were removed, which can be heard just before the first “well,
well, well” comes in. The guitars are
more prominent here, putting the vocals a little more in the background as
compared to later mixes. Also, they
didn’t fade-out the song fast enough to hide when the recording was completed,
thereby revealing the true end of the song.
You can even hear John say “OK Herb” at the song’s conclusion.
On May 20th, 1966, Martin, Emerick, and McDonald entered the
control room of EMI Studio One to create two stereo mixes of “Dr. Robert,” as
well as the other two songs intended for Capitol’s “Yesterday…And Today” album
(“I’m Only Sleeping” and “And Your Bird Can Sing”). Both of the “Dr. Robert” mixes edited out the
43 seconds, although the edits are much less noticeable. The first mix was given to Capitol Records
for the US release, although they instead opted to create a “duophonic” fake
stereo mix for the album instead of waiting for these stereo mixes to arrive,
which could have passed their deadline.
Someone at Capitol (probably Bill Miller since he received credit on the
album jacket as preparing the album for release) made sure John’s “OK Herb” was
removed from the end of the song on the “duophonic” stereo master. The true stereo mix of the song that they
received eventually incorporated some copies of the album, but not for at least
a couple of years.
The second stereo mix made on May 20th found its way onto the
stereo copies of the British “Revolver” album.
As with the first stereo mix made on this day, the fade-out is done more
carefully to hide the true ending to the song.
The mono mix of “Dr. Robert” used on the British “Revolver” album
didn’t occur until one of the final recording/mixing session for the album on
June 21st, 1966. George Martin, Geoff
Emerick and Phil McDonald entered the control room of EMI Studio Three to
create multiple mono and stereo mixes from 10 am until 6:30 pm that day (with a
90 minute break at 1 pm) before resuming recording duties in EMI Studio Two to
record one final song for the album, namely “She Said She Said.”
Much more finesse was used to make this mono mix with three
attempts made before they were satisfied.
(They labeled these mixes 4 through 6 when in actuality they were 5
through 7, mix 6 deemed best, although it was really the 7th existing mono mix
of the song.) After editing out the
necessary 43 seconds, we hear that the vocals were given more prominence than
in the earlier mono mix and the fade-out is created to properly hide the true
end of the recording.
Song Structure and Style.
The format used for “Dr. Robert” is one quite familiar to us in
the Lennon/McCartney catalog thus far, consisting of a ‘verse/ verse/ bridge/
verse/ bridge/ verse’ structure (or aababa).
One complexity contained herein, though, is the identification of the
songs’ key. At first blush, you would
think it to be A major since it’s the first chord heard in the song, not to
mention that the first twelve measures of the song stay precisely on that
chord. However, after the chords move
around ever so slightly, the first verse concludes in B major. The bridge is also rooted in this chord so,
arguably, B major appears to be the key of the song, although opinions may
vary. The unpredictable nature that
their songwriting had evolved into by this point, as well as beyond this point,
is just another reason why The Beatles music has become so admirable and still
maintains its credibility throughout all these years.
No solo or instrumental section appears in this song, although it
is quite likely they had planned on something.
The mysterious 43 seconds edited out of the final product may have
sufficed for a great solo of some sort that was intended to precede the first
bridge.
A simple four-measure introduction starts things on their way. The full instrumentation of the band begins
directly on the downbeat with John and George playing different but
complimentary picking rhythms on their electric guitars, John’s being the more
prominent. The main riff is played
loosely, the high note of the third beat of each measure being missed the
fourth time around, something that habitually happens throughout the song. Ringo’s straightforward drum beat remains
steady while Paul moves around nicely on the bass and George’s overdubbed
maracas sweeten the arrangement.
Asymmetrical sixteen measure verse is deliberately muddied-up by
John’s insistence of adding an announcement-like two-measure transition to the
second half of the verse as the song finally changes chords to F# major. Therefore, all of the verses become eighteen
measures long. John sings the first
verse entirely by himself in a sleepy, hazy manner indicative of the subject
matter. The characteristic guitar riff
continues to play within the changed chord on the ninth measure. The slurred rise in the melody line (on the
words “new” and “you”) appears to be the latest trick in the Lennon arsenal, as
is heard in “Rain” which was completed the day before “Dr. Robert” was
begun. We finally see some chord
movement in the seventeenth measure as we finally arrive at the home key of B
major in the last two measures.
The second verse is identical in structure but with a couple of
additions to the arrangement. Paul comes
in to harmonize throughout almost the entire verse, climaxing with his insistent
pleas “he’s a man you must believe, helping anyone in need.” The eighteenth measure then adds George’s
overdubbed guitar doodling for the first time.
The momentum of the song is abruptly interrupted to introduce a
whole new aspect. As if to humorously
add a religiously acceptable air to the activities of this physician,
choir-like harmonies from John, Paul and George cascade through our
consciousness to assure us of the wonderful effects we’ll experience. “Well, well, well, you’re feeling fine,” they
proclaim, then assuring us (with a clever play on words) “well, well, well
he’ll make you.” While the drums drop
out entirely for most of this ten-measure bridge, the instrumentation consists
of John on harmonium (the only instrument that changes chords), Paul thumping a
B note on the bass and George plucking a B note on the guitar. Then, to jar us out of our hallucinations,
the singers site the good doctor’s name once again, and we’re transported right
back to the steady rhythm of the song.
A third eighteen-measure verse follows, which is structurally and
instrumentally identical to the second with the exception of hearing two
overdubbed guitar parts from George played mostly in the gaps between the lyric
lines. These added elements bring a
distinct fullness with four electric guitars wailing away at these times, each
playing a different part. This results
in the unstructured and incoherent becoming coherent. Also interesting here is how John and Paul
shorten the subjects name to “Doc Robert” in the sixteenth measure.
A reprise of the “heavenly” bridge ends with what seems like an
even heavier mélange of guitar sounds that once again transcend into a
verse. However, this verse is truncated
to twelve measures with the only lyrics being the twice repeated first line of
the first verse, “Ring my friend, I said you’d call Doctor Robert.” The second time the line is repeated, ending
again with “Doc Robert,” the fade-out of the song begins. The rather unorthodox harmonies of the final
repeat of the songs’ title bring a change of chords and a distinguishing guitar
line from George, bringing this interesting song to an unusual conclusion.
John takes command throughout with his characteristic vocal style
and repeating guitar riff. George’s
flurry of guitars, as well as his suitable harmonies and maraca playing,
display his willingness to be more than just a passive session man when they
welcomed his input. Paul’s harmonies
take John’s melody line from dourness to an energetic level, while his bass
work triumphs and stands out nicely in the mix.
Ringo keeps strictly to the closed hi-hat throughout the song and, while
not much innovation was displayed, not much was needed.
The curious opening line, “Ring my friend, I said you’d call
Doctor Robert,” has been the subject of some debate. This awkward-sounding lyric could interpret
that John is recommending someone to give his doctor “friend” a “ring,” as on
the telephone. Some, though, would
suggest that maybe John was here addressing his good “friend” Ringo, informing
him of where he could get a good high.
After all, Ringo himself had been known to say, “I get high with a
little help from my friends.” :-)
The rest of the lyrics are mostly straightforward, explaining that
Dr. Robert has a “special cup” to make you feel “well, well, well” and to
become “a new and better man.” He is
definitely dedicated to his craft, “helping anyone in need” and tirelessly does
“everything he can,” being there “anytime at all.”
Apparently continuing the premise the song is about a “fantasy
doctor,” The Beatles describe him as having his practice in Britain instead of New
York. They sing, “My friend works for
the National Health,” meaning the National Health Service, the publicly funded
health care system in the United Kingdom.
Since British residents don’t have to pay for health care, John and Paul
explain that you “don’t pay money just to see yourself with Doctor
Robert.” For instance, the round lens
glasses that John was seen wearing publicly later in 1966 and onward were standard
National Health issues, provided at no cost for those needing glasses in
Britain.
Next Song – I Want To Tell You:
With the "Revolver" album sessions winding down and yet still short four songs to complete the LP, George offers up his third composition as consideration, which the band excepted and recorded on June 2nd, 1966. This actually appears to have been the fourth
offering from George for the album, author Mark Lewisohn indicates that “Isn’t
It A Pity” was brought forward but rejected - this from a personal
communication between Lewisohn and author Ian MacDonald as included in the
third edition of “Revolution In The Head.”
The group enters EMI Studio Two at 7 pm for an eight-hour session
to work on George's new song. Much rehearsing was needed before recording got
underway. “This track proved very difficult for us to learn,” explained Paul.
“I kept on getting it wrong, because it was written in a very odd way. It
wasn’t 4/4 or waltz time or anything. Then I realized that it was regularly
irregular, and, after that, we soon worked it out.”
One element of songwriting that George didn’t appear too keen on
as of 1966 was coming up with titles. His first offering for the album, “Love
You To,” didn’t have a name as they were recording it, so engineer Geoff
Emerick, in order to document the recording, named it after his favorite apple
“Granny Smith.” This time around, the same problem occurred. Before the first
take rolled, the following interchange was caught on tape:
George Martin: “What are you going to call it, George?”
George Harrison: “I don’t know.”
John Lennon: “Granny Smith Part Friggin’ Two! You never had a
title for any of your songs!”
Geoff Emerick was once again called upon to come up with another
title. He humorously decided to name the song “Laxton’s Superb,” which was
another type of apple. The tape box, however, showed he misspelled the name
(possibly on purpose) as “Laxstone Superbe.”
Five takes of the rhythm track were recorded. First, the
instrumentation comprising George on lead guitar, Paul on piano and Ringo on
drums. In a rather unprecedented move, one that would become commonplace
throughout the next year and beyond, Paul didn’t play bass guitar on the rhythm
track, deciding instead to add it later as an overdub. This would allow for a
more sonic presence to the bass guitar on the finished product, not to mention,
as suggested by Ian MacDonald in his book “Revolution In The Head,” allowing
Paul “to control the harmonic structure of the music.” John, however, seems to
have sat out on the rhythm track entirely.
After all five takes were complete, George Harrison decided that
‘take three’ was the best. Therefore, after engineers rewound the tape,
overdubs began. George sang his lead vocals simultaneously with harmonies from
John and Paul. George then double-tracked his lead vocals, followed by a
vibrant tambourine part (Ian MacDonald suggesting Lennon as the performer),
maracas from Ringo and an additional piano part from Paul. Because all four
tracks filled the tape, a tape-to-tape reduction copy was made to free up
another track, and onto this the group added handclaps to the final verse, them
now calling this “take four.” This completed the day’s activities for the
group, the bulk of the song complete by about 3 am the next morning.
Geoff Emerick relates: “One really got the impression that George
was being given a certain amount of time to do his tracks whereas the others
could spend as long as they wanted. One felt under more pressure when doing one
of George’s songs.” While eight hours sounds like a good amount of time, by 1966
Beatles standards, this was a quickie.
Neil Innes, British singer/songwriter whose claim to fame is
creating parodies of The Beatles music in the project “The Rutles,” happened to
have been in EMI Studios on this day for his very first recording experience as
part of the comedic group “The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.” He reportedly was
taking a break in one of their hallways when he heard The Beatles playing back
the tape of “I Want To Tell You” at full volume. Highly impressed by what he
heard, he sheepishly returned to his studio to continue recording, undoubtedly
raving about what he just witnessed. Innes and his band were to appear in The
Beatles’ film “Magical Mystery Tour” the following year.
The next day, June 3rd, 1966, the group once again met in EMI
Studio Two at 7 pm to complete “Laxton’s Superb” which, at some point during
this session, was changed to the title “I Don’t Know” as unintentionally
suggested by George the day before. The only overdub recorded on this day was
Paul’s bass part, which apparently took up the remaining track on the
four-track tape. With this complete, four mono mixes of the song were made in
the EMI Studio Two control room by George Martin, Geoff Emerick, and 2nd
engineer Phil McDonald. The first of these mono mixes were the one placed on
the mono pressings of the released album. After some mixing work on the previously
recorded “Yellow Submarine” was tackled, The Beatles and EMI staff called it a
night at about 2:30 am the following morning. Two copies of this first mono mix
were made on June 6th, 1966 in the control room of EMI Studio Three by the same
EMI staff, numbered “remixes 5 and 6.” The name of the song was finally now
indicated as “I Want To Tell You,” the obvious title indicated in the songs’
lyrics.
Two stereo mixes of the song were made on June 21st, 1966 in the
control room of EMI Studio Three by the same EMI staff, the identity of which
of these mixes made it on the album is unknown. All instrumentation and vocals
are panned slightly left of center while the overdubbed bass track is panned
mostly to the right.
Sometime between December 1st and 17th, 1991, George Harrison and
friends recorded a live version of the song during their successful tour of
Japan, the results appearing on the subsequent album “Live In Japan.” This
extended version of the song features multiple guitar solos from George’s good
friend Eric Clapton.
Song Structure and Style
The classic Beatles pattern of verses and bridges, comprising
‘verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse/ bridge/ verse’ (or aababa), is used by George in
this tune, with an introduction and conclusion thrown in to round out the
proceedings. Even though written by the lead guitarist, no solo ever deemed
necessary here. The uniqueness, as we’ll see, lies within the arrangement.
The tricky fade-in technique of 1964’s “Eight Days A Week” is
repeated here with George’s infectious guitar riff appearing as if from the
far-off distance. The riff is repeated twice by George alone, although a good
portion of the first riff lays hidden in near silence. The second half of this
eight-measure introduction brings in the rest of the band. The third repeat of
the guitar riff brings Paul stabbing piano chords to accent the chord changes
with Ringo pounding his snare drum on the two- and four-beat of each measure.
The fourth repeat of the riff brings in John on tambourine, first hitting the
one-beat of the seventh measure but then violently shaking the instrument from
the two-beat through the remainder of this and the next measure, joined by Paul
on overdubbed bass guitar in the final two beats of the eighth measure.
George’s guitar riff is also worthy of examination. Unlike “Day
Tripper” before it, it is played reservedly on the lower strings of his guitar.
Its up-and-down melody line uses the low A note as the bottom ‘jump-off point’
which is returned to repeatedly during the riff, undoubtedly easily played
using the open A string. The riff’s disorienting quality is due to some unique
characteristics, which include the downbeat and precedes the actual one-beat of
the first measure, plus the staggering triplets of the second half. As George
plays it solo in the first four measures of the song, the listener may not have
his footing yet – it’s only when Ringo’s steady snare beat comes in that we get
the intended rhythm of the song.
Then there are the disorienting verses. Each verse has an uneven
eleven-measure length and gets divided among four meandering vocal phrases.
Another twist is that the first chord change occurs in the middle of the fourth
measure, not at the beginning. Musicians may suspect a change in meter
somewhere in these verses, but if you parse it out, it always remains at 4/4.
Cover artists seem to get tripped up here, such as Ted Nugent’s version where
he felt he needed to change the fourth measure to 2/4 time to make it more
uniform.
The first verse brings in George’s lead vocals, with his bending
vocal work on the words “teeeellll you,” which appears to be influenced by the
dilruba, an Indian musical instrument the sound of which seems to have inspired
even the vocal work of The Beatles. Evidence of this points to how George
perfectly mimics the playing of the dilruba on “Within You Without You,” not to
mention the exaggerated bending melody lines sung by all vocalists on “Rain.”
Another aspect of George’s melody line in “I Want To Tell You” is his use of
syncopated notes, something he was especially fond of as of this time as
evidenced in its habitual appearance in his compositions (note “If I Needed
Someone” as a prime example).
The band falls into a swing groove at this point, Ringo playing a
strident pattern with light hi-hat taps, Paul accenting the quarter-notes on
both the piano and bass guitar and light percussion from Ringo on maracas and
John on tambourine. John and Paul join in on harmonies on the second vocal
line, “my head is filled with things to say.” However, arguably the most
disturbing element of the song appears in the sixth through ninth measures,
this being the alarming flat-ninth notes played by Paul on the piano. All
becomes well again in the final two measures of the verse as the charming
guitar riff repeats with John and Paul’s harmonies layered above it on the
words “slip away.” The instrumentation also seems to "slip away" at
this point, the tambourine violently shaking once again to usher in the second
verse that follows.
After a brief tumble of toms from Ringo, the second verse has the
identical structure and instrumentation as the first. This segues nicely into
the first eight-measure bridge, which is sung solo by George. The swing beat
stops for a signature ‘Beatles break’ in the seventh measure on the line
“confusing things” with only Paul hitting a rising note on the piano that
indicates a slight chord change. The eighth measure ends the slight lull in the
proceedings with Ringo bringing in a thunderous drum fill and Paul playing a
rapid-fire A-note repetition to usher in the third verse which follows.
The third verse and second bridge that follows it is also
identical in structure and instrumentation; however, the repeat of the third
verse afterwards adds the boys' handclapping’ overdub. The final measure of
this verse ends with the guitar riff as usual; however, George keeps repeating
the riff as it fades off into the sunset. The third time it is repeated, all
three vocalists come back in with the final words of the verse, namely “I’ve
got time.” This then repeats and holds out during the fade with Paul’s harmony
jumping around in a rather Eastern flavor while John gives a few final taps on
the tambourine and Paul noodles on the piano.
George’s guitar work mostly noticed with his recurring guitar
riffs and hardly apparent elsewhere in the song if at all, was done
proficiently and flawlessly every time. His vocals depict the mental confusion
of the lyrics quite well, the double-tracking emphasizing the bending notes in
the verses with a blurring exaggeration.
Paul plays a big role in the instrumentation and, therefore, in
the overall presentation of the song. Two tracks of a piano make the instrument
the dominant feature of the recording, his overdubbed bass also adding a deep
tone to the track. His pedal-point style bass work is less engaging than we’re
used to hearing from him at this point in his career, although he does stray
away from it momentarily during the third measure of each bridge. And, as
usual, his harmony vocals are well delivered.
John only picks up the tambourine as his musical instrument on
this track, although it’s played with much bravado. His harmony work is also
well performed. Ringo shows himself adept at the task at hand, his steady and
forceful drum playing exhibits strength and confidence right down to the
blistering drum fills. His maraca playing may sound subdued but, then again,
maybe we can detect some vigorous shaking on this instrument as well as John’s
tambourine at the end of each verse.
George’s later description of these lyrics is pretty
straightforward; however, there appears to be a little more in content than
meets the eye. His intentions maybe a little more than just to talk to a woman
as indicated by the line “it’s all right. I’ll make you maybe next time
around.” This could be interpreted to affairs he’s had while on tour during the
years but, since his "gift of gab" seems to be lacking, “the games
begin to drag” him down, so to speak. More evidence to this conclusion is found
in the lines “sometimes I wish I knew you well,” indicating this is someone
he’s just becoming acquainted with.
In any case, he simply wishes to convey his thoughts clearly,
wanting to “speak my mind and tell you…maybe you’ll understand.” This gives him
the feeling of being “hung up,” but not knowing why. It doesn’t seem to bother
him very much, however, since he’s patient. “I could wait forever…I’ve got
time.”
The one line that may have been influenced by his then limited
indoctrination into Eastern beliefs is “but if I seem to act unkind, it’s only
me, it’s not my mind.” George later commented on this lyric: “The mind is the
thing that hops about telling us to do this and do that. What we need is to
lose the mind.” With that in mind, George changed the line slightly when
performing it live in Japan in 1991. “It isn’t me, it’s just my mind” he sings
at this point. However you slice it, for Western ears it definitely is
“confusing things.”
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