What do you think? Does this bass line actually deserve the hate it gets? Or do you think it’s not that bad?
@reddederre4290
2 жыл бұрын
Its a good bass line
@oe1freak
2 жыл бұрын
John´s Bass is in Tune, your´s is not, sorry...
@unclemick-synths
2 жыл бұрын
The bassline doesn't bother me but the vocal is so dominant in the mix that unusually for me I don't pay any attention to the bass at all.
@KariKauree
2 жыл бұрын
It is very sloppy but it never affected my enjoyment of the song. My preferred version is the one on Anthology 3 - same take as the released version, minus all the overdubs. Beautiful, despite John's sloppiness.
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
@Helmuth Schulz - John's bass was definitely out of tune in the original recording. Have a look at the 2:44 mark for proof. I tried to emulate the 'amount' of intonation issues, but perhaps I went too far.
@elementrypenguin3116
2 жыл бұрын
There’s a scene in the “Get Back” docco where Paul is instructing John how to play the bass on LAWR. John didn’t seem dismissive or upset. Paul was just trying to help him on how to play bass notes on a song Paul had written.
@SBNewMe
2 жыл бұрын
Yeah, it's a great scene. And let's not assume that for one minute, Paul the perfectionist, or George Martin would have let it pass if they weren't happy with it. I imagine it was quirkiness, if it's scene as 'off' bass playing by anyone else.
@tikvision
2 жыл бұрын
"Play Like me" what a great input
@SBNewMe
2 жыл бұрын
@@tikvision with a shit-hot bass player like Paul, indeed. He'd have played it himself if he could.
@2DanTube
2 жыл бұрын
I suspect John Lennon was suffering from a malcontent personality - typical of many creative types and frustrated want-a-be. His own lyric "I'm just a jealous guy." John's malcontent behaviors grew more intense towards the break-up. Thus Paul became happier on his own - and was glad not to be working with John anymore - though he toyed with the idea of one more gig reunion. But as the years went by - Pual discovered he no longer needed the Beatles. And in December 1980 any chance was over. John started the Beatles and John's malcontent attitude ended the Beatles - Chapman simply was the nail in the coffin. But for "Real Love" & "Free as a Bird."
@SBNewMe
2 жыл бұрын
@@2DanTube Nicely put - it was a great dynamic which worked well until they all outgrew each other. John is barely recognisable in the Get Back clips, so gaunt and lacking the physical and creative robustness and confidence of the earlier years. Still made some cracking tunes though, even though George and Paul were on a roll. What's fascinating was how he seemed to spring to life when they were on the roof - it was quite a transformation.
@Supersony92
2 жыл бұрын
If you're listening to this song You may think the chords are going wrong But they're not, we just wrote it like that
@atomicwedgie8176
2 жыл бұрын
I wrote the bass line, perfection! -Yoko Ono
@RuudVanDrijver
2 жыл бұрын
Well, it’s only a northern song after all..
@jeremyallenglover6831
2 жыл бұрын
It doesn’t really matter what chords I play, what words I say or time of day it is
@TomMillerArtist
2 жыл бұрын
Best answer.
@Photologistic
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks, George
@jackpatricklang
2 жыл бұрын
The definitive LAWR for me will never be the Phil Spector version, with the over the top orchestra, but rather the version on "Let it be... Naked". A different take that is simply stunning. That version also features no mistakes from John, and is overall just a better arrangement IMO.
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
@Jack Patrick - I agree. It seems like John just knew the song a little better by that point.
@quark10051005
2 жыл бұрын
@@BecomeABassist I think on Naked they digitally fixed the bass line
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
@quark10051005 - I don't believe that's the case based on what I've found: web.archive.org/web/20100131010312/mixonline.com/recording/interviews/audio_naked_truth_beatles/ web.archive.org/web/20031205205124/www.jp.dk/kultur/advsog/artikel:aid=2118846:fid=9828/ It was just a later take, and likely the last/final time the band ran through the song.
@johnmichaelson9173
3 ай бұрын
@@BecomeABassist Trust me they fixed bits & bobs on pro tools.
@jclequy
2 жыл бұрын
Not being a musician, I don’t have the musical theory to figure out what it was, but now that you demonstrate it, i understand the musical discomfort I always had when listening to it. The only “mistakes” that I like are the slides, which gave a distinctive style to this song, as it is never played like this anywhere, because McCartney would have never done it like that.
@greycatturtle7132
2 жыл бұрын
Same
@karaamundson3964
2 жыл бұрын
Not sure why Mr. Genius McCartney accepted this version!
@robkurtzman7113
2 жыл бұрын
John was very into 'slide' at the time having just done the excellent slide guitar solo and fills on George's "For You Blue". It makes sense that he might just have been curious about what he could get away with, sliding into bass notes (given that rare opportunity play the instrument)
@danielplainview2584
Жыл бұрын
McCartney does slides a lot, especially on the White Album and Dear Prudence in particular.
@vyaj
2 жыл бұрын
The mistakes and bizarre glissandos are part of the song to me. I love it as it is.
@davidmason7765
2 жыл бұрын
Agree. But also, kids, don't think bass is easy enough that taking heroin won't matter ...
@Larrymh07
2 жыл бұрын
I agree. It lends itself to the sadness of the he song.
@vyaj
2 жыл бұрын
@@Larrymh07 great way to put it
@Larrymh07
2 жыл бұрын
@@vyaj Thank you, Tim!
@Larrymh07
2 жыл бұрын
@@davidmason7765 As a bass player I represent that statement! 😃
@GregMcNeish
2 жыл бұрын
I'm a guitar player beginning to pick up bass, and I think this stands as a great example of how guitar & bass are different instruments. Sure, they look the same, and mechanically they're pretty similar, but the musicianship that goes into each calls upon different sensibilities. Lennon was a good guitarist (and obviously brilliant musician in general), but he wasn't a bassist, and this showed it. Not the sloppiness, which as you illustrate was just a product of a not-great take, but the choices. I like the subtle changes you make, because it's taking the same general musical ideas and not just playing them like a bassist but INTERPRETTING them like a bassist. You show the little contrasts that make up how to THINK like a bassist. Great video. I'll definitely be checking out more of your channel.
@segodnyamozhno
8 күн бұрын
disagree. i play the guitar and i can play the bass line like this easily, and I bet John could. of course the guitar and the bass are different instruments, but it's a very easy bass line for a guitarist
@GregMcNeish
8 күн бұрын
@@segodnyamozhno That's actually not at all what I was saying. The playing itself wasn't what I was talking about, and yeah, it's not technically difficult to play. What I was saying was that the video illustrated how a guitarist and a bassist might COMPOSE the part differently, by THINKING of different things.
@segodnyamozhno
8 күн бұрын
@@GregMcNeish that's true. sorry for misunderstanding
@GregMcNeish
6 күн бұрын
@@segodnyamozhno All good. Keep on rockin'
@craigcavaliere6744
2 жыл бұрын
Good video. Don't fret. The song went to #1 and all of us non-musicians don't notice it.
@tahquameken
2 жыл бұрын
The Beatles never did anything the "right" way, did they? That might be why they were so good and considered musical geniuses.
@karlbaudoin
Жыл бұрын
I'm quite surprised to read some very negative comments to your video as I sensed in your endeavor a true humility and desire to do things properly. That was an instructive, daring but very interesting video. Maybe you could even have "corrected" this bass line by playing it the way Paul would have, mixing fonction with beauty and using more countermelodies and stuff like Paul used to do. Thanks for you work.
@frankrusselldesign7563
2 жыл бұрын
Why didn't Paul just replace the bass line?
@gilassp
2 жыл бұрын
That is puzzling indeed, because he did replace the bass part in Let it Be (song). I think by the time Spector was brought in, nobody cared enough about all that material or project anymore, the band was in it's final days and they were occupied with other things.
@thomasfioriglio
2 жыл бұрын
Oh, I liked this!! What a great video and lesson Luke. I'm wasn't that familiar with the song to notice this before so thanks for putting this together. Great lesson for any bassist and your tweaks certainly do make it a better bass line. I would cool with it if you did more of these. As for my take on what happened, you'd have to look how it was recorded. It sounds like John was still trying to figure out what to play. And it would be the producer's job to catch that. I'm thinking it was either recorded live and McCartney did such a great take they decided to leave the bass line, or maybe John was high on some kind of drugs
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
It could also be ALL of those things @Thomas Fioriglio. On the one hand, it still baffles me that this was OK-ed by so many people for release, but when you look at everything that was going on at the time with the band, I guess it's not so shocking.
@susanndiaye2180
2 жыл бұрын
Exactly - that's what I thought. He was high on drugs and he didn't care if the notes wasn't right. The Beatles must have agreed on this since they didn't changed it and made a new recording.
@kristopherguilbault5428
2 жыл бұрын
I don't think there's many more of these type of videos to do with the Beatles lol they were perfectionists! Especially Paul.. which baffles me about why if he didn't like this bassline why he would just overdub a proper one in? 🤔🤔🤔
@Katya_Lastochka
2 жыл бұрын
I think its a nice change for their more polished sound.
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
SCAMMER ALERT: There's an account that calls themselves "𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦👉Luke_From_Become_A_Bassist" that's been leaving comments about winning a 'prize' on this video and others of mine. This person is *NOT* me, they are in no way affiliated with me and there is no prize. They are in fact a scammer, phishing for personal information. Please do not interact with them in any way other than to report, then block them. If you've been targeted by this account, I'm very sorry. I've deleted all their comments for now, but these people are like weeds - very hard to get rid of completely. I actually went on Telegram posing as a 'winner' (read: victim) to see what the scam was. I was hoping to waste a bunch of their time, but it turns out they're very lazy in their scamming, but still quite convincing. They use my profile picture from here and you would have no idea you weren't talking to me. Once again, my apologies!
@AlDunbar
2 жыл бұрын
Apologies? You did nothing wrong - someone else did! A good explanation and a good response to the situation
@PsyduckVideos
4 ай бұрын
I’m such a John Lennon fan that just to spite you for insulting this bass line I’m gonna purposely get myself scammed from this fella. Take that Luke (I forgot your name and can’t be bothered to check it)
@victoroliveira9713
Жыл бұрын
Thank you very much Paul McCartney for releasing the clean version of this song on Let It Be Naked.
@SpaveFrostKing
2 жыл бұрын
From a songwriting perspective, I'd say the best way to "fix" the Long and Winding Road bass is to see how Paul McCartney played it as a solo act (or with Wings). I'd say that's the way it "should" be played. I'd be curious if Paul's changed it at all over the decades; the longer he's been around, the more he's embraced the Beatles nostalgia, so my naive guess is these days it'd be pretty close to the original, while perhaps in the 70s/80s he spiced it up a bit.
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
Here's a live version Paul playing this song: kzitem.info/news/bejne/q3yEx4Ojb4dmoW0 The issues I mention in the video are completely absent from this performance, which seems telling to me.
@B-kn8yb
6 күн бұрын
I think he knew exactly what he was doing, everything you took out is for me everything that added character to the song. Those random slide ups aren’t random at all and in the mix seem quite importantly timed to my ear.
@glicmathan1771
2 жыл бұрын
This was seriously enlightening! I LOVE your revised baseline!
@094340
2 жыл бұрын
The bass is so understated in TLAWR that it's practically irrelevant. Paul's vocals and the orchestration clearly take center stage, the bass line is an afterthought. Moving on.
@Wayne_Robinson
Жыл бұрын
The song seems to have garnered quite a few plays over the years in spite of this which might also demonstrate something. Illuminated with a bright spotlight those do seem like defects although I'd never fixated on them before. To me the bassline sounds fine as a experiment with varying some attributes and having a bit too much fun with careless glisses like we all might during a rehearsal. Maybe they just focused limited resources on other issues that would have invited even greater scorn a few generations hence but I appreciate your exploration of this topic and promise to be more careful with glissandos in the future.
@gumbycat5226
2 жыл бұрын
In his last interview about the Beatles (Playboy, 1980), John accused Paul of "subconscious sabotage," naming a number of songs. It's bizarre because this is the only incident in the Beatles where sabotage seems to have been the order of the day. Paul wrote four major songs for the LP and John wrote a ditty (Dig A Pony), having to resurrect Across The Universe from 11 months earlier. John also said (1970, Rolling Stone) that he was "stoned on H all the time and didn't give a s***" which is indicated on the 14 Jan "two junkies" interview that immediately preceded the session - he must have taken something potent to perform as we see him in Get Back. The terrible bass guitar playing may just have been H lowering his capabilities. The reference version of Long And Winding Road was recorded on 26 Jan - Phil Spector chose the version with the best overall feel and best lyric, and then smothered it with orchestra and choir presumably to hide John. Let It Be Naked features a take from four days later, with no Spector elements, worse lyric but at least John is in order.
@chickenmuffin
2 жыл бұрын
Poor Paul. Imagine how successful he’d have been without this “sabotage.”
@moishe43
2 жыл бұрын
I disagree, Paul wrote 5 major songs for the LP. Two of us, Let it be, Get back, I've got a feeling, LAWR. John had 'dig a pony' and that was it. Oh, and Don't let me down. One after 909 was from 1960. He wrote only the middle eight to IGAF and Across the universe a year earlier.
@lglg64
10 ай бұрын
I just discovered your channel, it's amazing! I just have to ask, what strings are you using?
@davebowden4010
Жыл бұрын
Don't know of this is one of those instances but sometimes bands leave mistakes in due to the entire tracks vibe being spot on despite those mistakes. If you listen closely to some zeppelin tracks, even JPJ makes tiny errors here and there. But they stayed . And cover bands even add them in when they perform the tracks. Loving your vids mate. Ive studied McCartney for many years and learnt so many songs and every one surprises, inspires, and amazes me even after 100 plays
@bryanleigh6497
Жыл бұрын
Yes, Squire's isolated bass on Roundabout is a bit scrappy, but great energy
@tomCA559
15 күн бұрын
I never noticed any "mistakes" before with the bass playing. Just thought it was McCartney being weird and using strange techniques. Made it sound very airy and magical, like it was floating in the clouds. Love the "wrong" notes, too. I don't think they sound wrong...just strange. The whole song sounds like it was very spontaneous, and done quickly in one take. A tear jerker for me!
@titmusspaultpaul5
Жыл бұрын
Love your videos. Entertaining but also a lesson that I remember and use for my own songs (I play guitar but my bass is not quite there. I tend to follow the drums more but now I feel confident to branch out a bit.... make things interesting). Thanks.
@alexhicks5889
2 жыл бұрын
Never thought of this as sabotage, but have thought about John's harmony in the last few notes of Yellow Submarine chorus as a hilarious bit of sabotage.
@Bubdiddly
2 жыл бұрын
Oh my god FINALLY someone mentions this I first noticed that awhile back and cannot I hear it
@AngeloFonta
2 жыл бұрын
Which harmony?
@Bubdiddly
2 жыл бұрын
@@AngeloFonta I’m not sure of the note but John’s harmony goes downwards to some weird low note on the “ine” part of submarine
@AngeloFonta
2 жыл бұрын
@@Bubdiddly are you talking about the Revolver version?
@Bubdiddly
2 жыл бұрын
@@AngeloFonta probably. I’d have to check
@MyXxx77
2 жыл бұрын
As a bassist myself, I never questioned it but you're right about everything you pointed out. Why did John play it that way and why did they leave it? I think Mars 79 has the explanation. Those tapes were lying around for months and most likely, the one that was chosen had the McCartney vocal Spector wanted on the same track as the bass so, he made an arbitrary decision and that was that.
@nevillede-hoedt6520
Жыл бұрын
I play 5 string basses, I have 2 Fender 5 string Jazz basses, I am use to these basses, they present me with better option's as a bass player. Back in the day 'The Beatles' had this 5 string, it is a right handed instrument, so that could mean either could play it. John was a right hander, Paul is left handed, but as he first played a right handed bass, it was a right hand bass, so he could play it upside down. Most left hander's are able to do this. The Beatles by this time, owned a wealth of guitars and basses so I figure this 5 string Fender belonged to them. Depending on how long they had this bass, as to if any of them really had a comfortable feel for the 5 string, and mastered it. As a player of 5 string basses, I definately took awhile to get used to them after playing 4 string basses for most of life. I've been playing 5 strings for going 45 years now, the hardest habit to over come, is the E string is the 2nd string, not the first as had always been the norm. For a long while, I'd be constantly hitting the wrong string, therefore playing the wrong notes in various position's, until I got it, could hear it, to understand it. I had to re educate my thinking, how I played. A 5 string gives me more options up the neck, so for me, I can use the bottom B to start and end bass pattern's along the finger board I know I can grovel around down the low end, but only when required. I use it tastefully, not over use it. As the bottom B runs off normally, positioning is never an issue. I never play the wrong string ever, as I am use to it. John Lennon would have had a similar experience getting use to a 5 string bass. It isn't the same as playing a 6 string guitar, totally different. Same is for a 6 string bass, not at all like a 6 string guitar. I believe Keith Richards has a 7 string guitar which he plays with 'The Rolling Stones'. The 'Let It Be' recording's were somewhat unfinished, somehow Phil Specter was given them, years before he devoured them with his mastering, whether he knew what he was doing? or not, he eventually managed to get all the credit for that release. At one stage, he was asked where the tape's were, he said he couldn't find them, so 'The Beatles set about recreating these songs that they already had put together earlier. We need to remember a lot of these songs were songs that didn't get to be selected for previous Album's, so like a lot of their work, these 'Get Back' session's are them recreating already written material, and finishing them off. As the film reveals. Some think that they just wrote a lot of them during that session, as you can see in the film, they are already familiar. A bit like digging into the vault, and resurrecting the shelf. Sometimes when one does this, it could be years passed, but you hear it all in a new light, new idea's formulate, they were all older, everything had changed.
@jonthecomposer
2 жыл бұрын
First off, I don't think ANY musician or artist should be held to such a standard as what would be considered beyond reproach. Secondly, as a bass player, it's REALLY obvious that Lennon was pretty clueless here - whether stylistically or musically speaking. Remember, he was a "lyric man," and the vast majority of Beatles tunes (like LAWR) with any sort of sophisticated harmony was Paul's doing (some George's too). And even with Paul's instruction, you can just hear that Lennon is just "playing notes," not really interpreting or feeling notes. There's no shame in correcting a lacking bass line. And I think you did a bang up job of it too by holding true to the approach that was taken in the song. And I agree on all points, it just really needed a couple bad note corrections as well as some subtle stylistic (we're talking TASTE, not pandering) changes. Great job!
@titochristian1968
2 жыл бұрын
macfan says
@jonthecomposer
2 жыл бұрын
@@titochristian1968 Just objective views on bass playing having been a player and educator myself for 30+ years. I rarely even listen to McCartney.
@tinlinmusic
9 ай бұрын
1:17 I think that quote is taken from Ian MacDonald's book 'Revolution in the head'. It's a brilliant and exhaustive breakdown of every single song the Beatles recorded. However, he doesn't shy away from criticism, and Lennon's bass playing does come in for quite a lot of stick on this particular track. On the other hand, he does acknowledge that the basic track was essentially a 'run through' and never intended to be the finished master. Anyone who has seen the recent Peter Jackson film 'Get Back' can see/hear how chaotic most of the sessions for this album actually were. Personally, having grown up listening to all these songs (complete with the so-called 'mistakes') I find it hard to hear them in any other way.
@KatharineShaw-z8u
9 ай бұрын
John said in his last ever interview in dec 1980 (Playboy) that Paul would sub-consciously try to destroy some of his great songs. I think he referred to "Strawberry fields" and "Across the universe" as examples. He didn't explain how. Maybe his lousy bass playing on "The long and winding road" was payback time.Anyway Phil Spectors great production job on that song covered up his bad bass playing so is it really important now?
@davidmecey7209
2 жыл бұрын
I think you guys are missing some of the most created Bass in the history of music. Lennon's Bass lines are perfect for that song along with the organ it takes you to a different place. It's perfect and not only do I think it was deliberate, I think McCartney was 100% onboard for the grove. Not everything is about being like a song should be. Your right in the sense that it makes non sense. But it not only works but works better than if you corrected it. It's a Beatles Masterpiece and I dont think for a minute that Lennon came up with that alone.
@PhantomDetectivesLLC
9 ай бұрын
John was also using a Fender Bass VI on the original recording
@BecomeABassist
9 ай бұрын
Absolutely @PhantomDetectivesLLC - I point that out at the 0:52 mark.
@kennethmarshall306
Жыл бұрын
I have listened to it hundreds of times and again to the remastered 2009 after listening to you. And it sounds ok to me
@havable
2 жыл бұрын
Variation in note length is called "texture". You don't often see it in bass lines but John is a guitar player who played bass for a song. I've been playing guitar for about 30 years. Two years ago I picked up bass and can't put it down. I also use texture in my bass playing. Also, those "wrong" notes may have been 100% intentional and the rest of the band may have noticed them and called them "genius". Sometimes playing out of key is the right thing to do. "What the song wants" is what the creators want out of the song. But here's an alternate theory: John had the blues, remembering his friend Stu Sutcliffe, who wasn't that great of a bass player but was a true friend and a talented artist who would have gotten 'good enough' by the time the Beatles got a break. So maybe it was sabotage. Personally, I like how it sounds. What matters to me more is how it sounds not what it looks like on paper or whether it follows the rules that were made to be broken in the first place.
@whyyeseyec
2 жыл бұрын
Sutcliffe had no musical knowledge and couldn't play a note. Had he lived he would have been let go like Pete Best. No rip on him, he just wasn't a musician.
@RLWGWriters
2 жыл бұрын
Surely if that was not the intended bass line Paul (the perfectionist) would have insisted on adding the correct bass line...?
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
He may have if he knew the Get Back tapes were being prepared for release, but John had sent them (without Paul's or regular producer, George Martin's knowledge) to Phil Spector for production.
@erkkinho
2 жыл бұрын
@@BecomeABassist Actually Paul was shocked with the end product.
@hughiepearce
2 жыл бұрын
you could ask why Paul didn't go back in the studio and play the bass part himself?
@johnvice4066
2 жыл бұрын
@Luke - Regarding your "Issue #3" and the length of notes. Twice, you refer to Lennon playing "whole notes" and then eighth notes. I don't know why you used the term "whole note" when you're clearly referring to quarter notes. It happens at around 4:10 into the video.
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
Ah - you're totally right @John Vice. That was definitely a slip of the tongue. The space that the notes occupy is *half* note, (starting his notes on beats 1 and 3) although sometimes he cuts them short to 8ths, quarters or dotted quarters. My apologies!
@migueldeleon6677
2 жыл бұрын
Yeah, the bass playing is dismal -- but it seems Spector (rightly) buried a lot of it. Don't know why Paul didn't re-record the bass himself later, as he had in other instances. I really like the recommendations/corrections made in this video.
@dontvoteforanybody3715
Жыл бұрын
In the remastered version, there are distinct ghost lyrics at 3:15.
@cleftturnip7774
2 жыл бұрын
I've never noticed this before. And I've heard this song many times.
@aleccumming4436
9 ай бұрын
I've always thought John's bass part was quirky and inconsistent, but for me that's the charm. The song is so middle-of-the-road to begin with, so the idiosyncratic bass playing gives it some well-needed personality.
@billysea7769
2 жыл бұрын
Actually it sound great to me
@sylvaind9086
7 ай бұрын
I agree with what you are saying. But as you mentioned, I do believe that he was bored or mucking around. It is common knowledge that these recordings were demos/rehearsals(pre-production sessions). So it would stand to reason that John was aware that these were not final takes and therefore was not trying as hard as he may have, had these been "official takes for the album".
@stephenjones101
2 жыл бұрын
John and the other Beatles made numerous statements indicating how controlling Paul was. How he took charge over the Beatles after Brian died. They felt like he was treating them as a backup band starting with Magical Mystery Tour. Assuming that's true, it seems Paul would have all the chance in the world to replace John's bassline with his own. But he didn't. Did John not GAF because he knew Paul would likely overdub his playing anyway? Or did Paul leave the out of tune John Bass track in to make him look bad in comparison with Paul's normal acclaimed bass playing? They were definitely at odds during this time period.
Жыл бұрын
Very nice take on the bass line. Being a bass player myself - jazz and swing mostly, I personally have big problem with John´s bass - not only in this song (well ... to be honest, I have my reservations to most of his production. But I keep in mind, what a great musician he was ). Although I consider myself Beatles lover (most of them I have on vynyl), there are few songs, which seem out of "Beatles tune" for me ... Long and winding road is one of them. I tried some variations to your - well done - line and most apetizing for my ears was when I used smooth nickel plated strings and threw away the pick - to get nice warm and round sound. I tried to make your part more "Abbey Road-ish", added few ornaments and also played around with adding some flageolets ... I slipped almost into fusion of Something and Dear Prudence. Which definitely suits my "jazzy" attitude and my feeling from the song. As for "correcting John" - I would not be afraid too much. Music is a creative field and one can definitely try to improve/correct or change great musicians work. As long as he does it with respect. Idolizing great ones and and making them untouchable can lead to catarsis and bias.
@CacophonyOfDestruction
9 ай бұрын
Given the timing of when this song was recorded at the very end of the Beatles time together as a group, along with Johns later comments about how much he couldn't stand Paul's elevator "Muzac" style of ballads I think it's pretty safe to say John was protesting through lack of effort. At worst specifically to protest Paul's ballad (Muzac to John) or at best out of boredom of playing bass in general/intoxication/ or just being tired or not "feeling it" that day for whatever reason. Which happens to everybody at some point. Personally my money is on John purposely protesting Paul's "Muzac" sounding ballads. I'm a MASSIVE Paul Mccartney fan and I can't say I blame John sometimes. In fact as soon as John died and Paul seemingly no longer feared or was effected by that type of criticism Paul went full "Muzac" in the 80s ending his time of chart topping hits pretty much for good.
@MarvinLikoPuha
2 жыл бұрын
I love your suggestions.😀 You "made it better."🎸
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
Haha!!! I just did my best to not 'make it bad'.
@troystaunton254
11 ай бұрын
I’m just pondering here. Could they have been looking for that. The dissonance is magnificent, and I’ve written a couple bass lines for myself that feature an out of key part that when played for the first time sounds wrong. But as soon as you put it back in key it’s boring and almost impossible to enjoy. But the out of key A#, A#, A, A#, A, G, E it works and it’s the # that’s out of key.
@BecomeABassist
11 ай бұрын
I doubt it @troystanton254, simply because the later takes of the song (like the one that ended up on Let It Be...Naked) don't have the out of tune notes and the questionable rhythms on the original track. The 'Naked' take was recorded 5 days after the album version, and it sounds like Lennon just knows the song a little better by that point.
@johnnymoondog
Жыл бұрын
"The Long Unwinding Bass Strings ! ? "
@josephmartino9958
2 жыл бұрын
After hearing the original bass for over 50 years, the 'right' notes don't seem to follow the theme of the song and seem to lose any lasting effect...intentional or not, this is how it was recorded and how the listeners have been conditioned to hear it. When I first started playing bass around that time, not too many songs were in Eb and somehow it seemed unusual and acceptable...esp competing w the orchestration
@AB-mt9nf
2 жыл бұрын
Clearly he didn’t know the chord changes. Simple as that.
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't 100% all over it @A B. From what I can tell, the originally released performance was from an early-ish take of the song. It could be that he was still coming to terms with the harmony.
@Riffwood432hz
26 күн бұрын
Hi is it possible there was more than one bass player on beatles recordings ?
@BecomeABassist
26 күн бұрын
Absolutely - there were three. John played on the track I feature in this video, plus a few others, George played on a bunch as well, and of course Paul McCartney played on the vast majority
@Riffwood432hz
26 күн бұрын
@@BecomeABassist Hi bass is my second instrument , however i am limited . you did an excellent video and the change in bass playing in the beatles . Bernie purdie claims to have played a lot of drums on the tracks . it is possible that a session player played bass after 66 . thats what i can hear anyway .good video :)
@BecomeABassist
26 күн бұрын
By the looks of things, Bernard Purdie likely _did_ play some drums on some very early Beatles recordings when Pete Best was still drumming for them, but more than likely not anything that Ringo played on. This video (kzitem.info/news/bejne/ybBvq3t9ooGmpqQ ) is very well researched and has the primary sources listed that backs up this assertion. And since the recordings that Purdie likely played on were from 1962 (pre-Ringo) and there is a _ton_ of *documented and credited* instances of session musicians playing on Beatles tracks (like Billy Preston playing on the Get Back Sessions, Eric Clapton on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, the string quartet on Eleanor Rigby or the entire orchestra on Day In The Life, plus both Paul And George playing drums on some Beatles tracks, plus John and George playing bass at different point), it seems unlikely that they would try to 'hide' session players being involved after 1966 for some arbitrary reason. In fact, they didn't hide the fact that they used studio musicians at all. Here's a list of hundreds of confirmed session musicians who played on Beatles tracks: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_performed_on_Beatles_recordings As far as the bass being played by a session musician, I guess it's possible, but there's not really any evidence for it, and a big claim like that demands compelling evidence. There _is_ however, a ton of evidence for Paul being the bassist on the vast majority of Beatles tracks, with the remaining ones either lacking bass entirely or with John or George having played the bass.
@emilianogabriele4878
2 жыл бұрын
the bass as played by John is perfect. You are "normalizing" something without knowing what was the purpose of the bass in the song. Also consider that there is also the orchestra in this song and not only that is already long playing, but is in any case covering the bass line. Sorry, not to criticize you, you made a great video, but i feel your version is more boring than John's one.
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
@Emiliano Gabriele - Im not sure if you know the story, but this album was originally supposed to be stripped back and have zero overdubs. At the rime of recording this, there no intention of having an orchestra on the final recording, but Phil Spector heard the tapes and did everything he could to ‘cover up the mistakes’ (his words - I quote him in the video).
@emilianogabriele4878
2 жыл бұрын
@@BecomeABassist i appreciate your work and, again, i am not here to criticize, your video is wonderful and i dont know the full story as you said. However i think that the way he plays (for exampe short notes), despite i agree with you that there should be a precise duration across the notes, makes the bass line interesting. In the end this is about the taste of everyone, among all the taste of the beatles, but i agree with you that the quality si little too poor.
@raulmacias5735
2 жыл бұрын
Regarding the take on "Let It Be...Naked". This was another case of Glyn Johns screwing up the Get Back project and selecting inferior earlier takes! He did the same thing with "Two Of Us" which was recorded along with "The Long And Winding Road" and "Let It Be" on January 31,1969 at Apple Studio's.
@TheBromie
2 жыл бұрын
I'm pretty sure it sounds so bad because it's literally take 1, so I just think he didn't have the bass line down yet. Its in part 3 of the doc
@j1l9f9k0
9 ай бұрын
I think I remember in the Get Back doc John and George talking about how much they hate playing bass
@deanevangelista6359
9 ай бұрын
I doubt it was intentional. I think he just phoned the performance in. George, however, was a decent bassist.
@dino0228
Жыл бұрын
Not being a bass player, I never had a problem with it - at least not consciously. I did think there was way too much orchestra, and maybe that was to cover up the bass on this take, on which Paul happened to sound his best. It almost sounds like John was trying to do something like what Paul did on Something - but with no clue how. We wasn’t a bass player. Maybe he was bored, tired, or subconsciously sabotaging it by just not doing his best. We won’t ever know.
@Housemartinuk
Жыл бұрын
I don't think any of them were considering that the version which actually saw release was going to be the 'master' and I doubt John sabotaged the song on purpose, even if he might have been a little bored with it. I think a bigger question is why Glyn Johns chose the version recorded on 26 January rather than a later version recorded on 31 January; i.e. the version taht appears on "... Naked". At the end of the day, none of it really matters because the bass isn't that prominent and isn't that important in the context of the song. It really wouldn't matter if there was no bass at all.
@LibertyWarrior68
9 ай бұрын
The melody is lovely.
@timianlyons9688
2 жыл бұрын
The Eb-7 over Ebmaj7 is not a "wrong note" in my opinion. It's not the same 7 as Paul play's surely, but it's just as much a leading tone to the 5th of the following Ab, as Paul's would be a intention of sinking to the third. Thereby you get a double tension that makes the mid high and highs of the Ab to be more solid, anticipated and the feeling of a fatter Ab in my opinion. Pitch is another thing, where cent's off or sharp can brighten or fatten up a idea. Much as the downward-modulation in Penny Lane makes you feel more "Home again", as it draw you deeper down to your "roots".
@chiggermethod463
2 жыл бұрын
I've always liked slides, and I wonder if this is where I got that from lol
@kathyhollenbach7413
2 жыл бұрын
Never realized these bass line mistakes were there. Paul's piano was loud
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
Absolutely @Kathy Hollenbach - the mix and orchestration do a great job of hiding these issues.
@lewisf9266
2 жыл бұрын
Was it corrected on Let It Be Naked
@BecomeABassist
2 жыл бұрын
It largely was @Lewis F - no dodgy notes, timing is a lot cleaner, although there's still some things that I'm not _personally_ a fan of (the stabby slides still somewhat remain)
@mardukmd2274
Жыл бұрын
wow. now i have to ask: why on earth did Paul allow this to get released?
@BecomeABassist
Жыл бұрын
Copied and pasted from another comment, but it was likely a mixture of a number of things including: #1 - Paul specifically didn’t know that the tapes had been sent for production and by the time he found out it was basically finished. He initially signed off on it, but then took issue with it. #2 - With the way things were recorded for a live feel, it’s possible that Lennon’s bass and MaCartney‘s vocals bled into each others mics a fair bit, which would make it impossible to isolate and remove the bass line. #3 - When selecting it takes for the album, it’s likely that the Spector chose the take with his favourite vocal performance rather than whole band performance. Then he simply went to work covering up the bass part as much as he could. Finally enough, when Paul spearheaded to the ‘Naked’ project, an entirely different take was used - one that was recorded five days after the album version where John seems more comfortable with the song. #4 - Apathy. All of this was happening while the band was essentially imploding. While Paul did go back and record Lennons bass on Let It Be (possibly because it was the lead single from the album), he didn’t do the same for The Long And Winding Road. In fact, Paul initially tried to block the release of the entire album, and when that failed, he scheduled his solo album to be released before Let It Be and announced he left the band.
@thisisawsome34253212
Жыл бұрын
I think Spector liked everything about the take except for the bass and had the vision to turn it into an orchestral track. He probably didn't use the other one because the overdubs would've been much less appropriate.
@bassistwithadeathwish7277
Жыл бұрын
Making a mistake on a recording is like spitting into eternity I don't know who originally said this but this is a great point
@grayday14
2 ай бұрын
they just needed yoko to add the backing voices ...wow master
@alwynloboollietruly7983
Жыл бұрын
To be fair, I don't think the LAWR was meant to have orchestra pieces. It was added later by Spector. Which is also why the Let It Be Naked sessions were released. John was probably attempting Strategic Busyness to fill in the gaps in the song. Ofcourse bad execution since he probably wasn't fluent with the instrument.
@kristofkadosahajdu
6 ай бұрын
what did George do in this song? I think he could also play the bass in this song. Or is the bass neccesarly need in this song? They had a philharmonical orchestra.
@BecomeABassist
6 ай бұрын
The original recording didn’t have any orchestra - that was added much later by Phil Spector
@kristofkadosahajdu
6 ай бұрын
@@BecomeABassist Oh, Thank you.
@TheKitchenerLeslie
Жыл бұрын
I never noticed any of this because I've never gotten past the first line. As soon as it always came on, I'd roll my eyes and hit skip. I could always tell it was a McCartney Vanity Song. I have that reaction to a lot of his stuff.
@mdfacp
6 ай бұрын
Link?
@ericsguitar0
Жыл бұрын
Nice job! Good analysis also. People underestimate the craftsmanship required to play really good bass lines.
@carlosgonbr
2 жыл бұрын
I had a post from the early 80's that said Lennon was lazy on the bass line of that song willingly, but there's a snippet from Get Back that Peter Jackson made sure to leave in which Paul guides John to make it as simple as possible , I just don't know if it was because of some limitation he thought Lennon might have.
@gilassp
2 жыл бұрын
John always sucked on bass, just listen to first takes of Fixing a Hole.
@northernbrother1258
Жыл бұрын
I just listened to both the Spector and the Naked versions...and I don't hear the badness...yeah there's some funky choices like the slides up, but it's all part of the charm of the song to me. 🤔
@BecomeABassist
Жыл бұрын
The Naked version is actually a different take that was recorded a few days _after_ the version that came out on Let It Be. It's a much 'cleaner' take from John; it seems like he just knows the song a little better, which would make sense since he'd have played it a bunch between the album version and the Naked version.
@AppleCorp3
2 жыл бұрын
And years later Lennon had the temerity to suggest Paul sabotaged his work…
@evansarzin6516
Ай бұрын
Definitely out of tune. Not so much wrong notes. I think you were right and saying that Lennon made some strange choices, , and he was quite capable of making strange choices because he didn’t know better. He knew enough from playing the piano to know what the basement was gonna sound like. That sounds to me like Len and trying to add interest to the beautiful but conventional Melody line by adding some deceptive or complicating harmonic notes in the base. It never spoiled the song for me, simply made it more interesting.
@johncruz8698
2 жыл бұрын
Maybe John Lennon is not really a bass player.. I've heard some delayed on the bass but the orchestration covered it... All in all it still sounds good for me 😌😌😌
@marc-yv7cu
11 күн бұрын
It is astonishing that the bass line was not subsequently given a direction (by Paul) or left to George much more capable than John, catastrophic bass player !
@samuelmath1723
Жыл бұрын
"... just like Phil Spector gadget was talking about." Great line Luke.
@dananorth895
Жыл бұрын
When the Beatles recorded "Let It Be" things were pretty tense, to the point of it being delayed. "Abbey Road" was their "Swan song" effort with let it be being released post humorously. It threw alot of people off and you may still find people who think let it be was their last album.
@tudvalstone
9 ай бұрын
So I listened to the original - it sounds fine, the bass is a bit muted anyway, hard to notice any imperfections, it blends in well.
@BecomeABassist
9 ай бұрын
It’s mixed that way and has the thick arrangement that it does because Phil Spector wanted to ‘cover up’ the bass (in his words). By that metric, Spector did pretty well.
@stevenbareiss9001
Жыл бұрын
Haven't there been enough videos on this?
@jeffreynolds3848
2 жыл бұрын
OMG! To think, all these decades I’ve enjoyed these songs - and I’ve been doing it wrong...?!
@richardsorman1585
Ай бұрын
The slides are great.
@davidadkins4457
Жыл бұрын
Possibly. John expressed disdain for Paul's 'grandma songs' (which gave the Beatles broader generational appeal, as did Ringo's 'kiddie songs') and wanted a more rock 'n roll focus. Or maybe he didn't respect bass, like many others at the time.
@clarkhowell8267
Жыл бұрын
It's fine. And I LIKE the slide ups. Do a video on Helter Skelter if YOU REALLY wanna hear some sloppy bass.
@somebodyspapa5005
Жыл бұрын
John had creative licence to play it any way he pleased. I'm sure Paul had fun with it, subduing the bass line during the mix, along with masking it with sweeping orchestration, a solid wall of strings. The question remains, why didn't Paul and Phil just have Paul do another separate take on the bassline and slip it into the master? This was common practice for Paul during the White album and Abbey Road final mixes. There's a lot going on with this song. However, John was always adamant that his band (The Beatles) was a rock and roll band, and here they are, playing a ballad. He was equally un-enthused with George's contribution of I Me Mine, which was, as John so eloquently professed, a waltz. A true waltz, with all the architecture and timing of a waltz. By this time in the recording, I'm sure John had no qualms about what he was playing, however, he respected Paul at least for attempting to pick up a bass and do something with it.
@davpe155
11 ай бұрын
Haha well. What songs have you written? The recording is a capture of what hapened when someone pushed ”record” in the studio and the song is still a bloody anthem. Guessing its sort of meta that i have the ”youre wrong” hat on poiting at someone also wearing it but hey :)
@BecomeABassist
11 ай бұрын
My own original music isn't really the focus of this channel @davpe155, but I appreciate you taking an interest in it. Here's an album of mine you're welcome to check out: lukemcintosh.bandcamp.com/album/permanent-circus
@victoroliveira9713
Жыл бұрын
A well-played bass has the power to raise the quality of a song. John Lennon did just the opposite in The Long And Windind Road.
@moondancer4660
2 жыл бұрын
I never realized until you opened my eyes.
@coffee-xg6my
9 ай бұрын
There's actually a video of Paul criticizing John's decision to put an extra note at the end of one part of his bass line. John appears to not really care and just seems put off by Paul even trying to explain it to him. But you've probably already watched it.
@LightningDogg
2 жыл бұрын
I'm pretty sure Yoko did the bass on that song. She synced it up with HER vocal.
@nicolagiuseppe
2 жыл бұрын
You're right. Check out Dig It Isolated bass and strums the Bass VI!!!!! Paul could played differently. Maybe playing waltz bass style
@odiumpugnator472
Жыл бұрын
Interesting. Nice analysis. Knowing all that, however, I don't get why people would say that Lennon "sabotaged" or tried to, the band. That is one of the most love and iconic songs in their whole wonderful catalogue. If the band thought Lennon's bad bass playing was trying to ruin the band...well, that's just ridiculous, imo.
@helpimadog-playthroughs5956
Жыл бұрын
Okay so this is a huge nitpick but during those four short slide notes, the tab I read said the last one should be a d flat, not a c natural (11th fret of the D string or 6th fret of the G string as I learned it). Which makes more sense in the context of an Eflat7 chord anyway. Once again, huge nitpick that you probably won't even read, but it needed to be said.
@BecomeABassist
Жыл бұрын
I actually thought it was a Db when I first heard it as well @Help I'm A Dog - Playthroughs. Doing that would make more 'sense' since it'd just be going up the arpeggio, but when I digitally isolated the bass line, it surprised me. I was definitely hearing a C at the end of the phrase.
@helpimadog-playthroughs5956
Жыл бұрын
@@BecomeABassist Perhaps it just another strange playing decision or Lennon just didn't know what he was doing. Thanks for the clarification anyways.
@meestuinier4486
Ай бұрын
8:18 who spotted the doggo?
@charlieburns1385
9 ай бұрын
Very interesting 👍 Thanks
@ryanflett4613
Жыл бұрын
I wonder if the refinement of Let It Be as the A-side and sloppiness of the production for Long/Winding Road had anything to do with the overall chaos of the recording and production (Martin / Glyn / Spector mess) or with the chaos with You Know My Name as a single? You Know My Name has a story behind it that fits the insanity of the Beatles' break-up. Maybe giving Paul the A and B was a last minute decision? To me, the bass part sounds like an early "I'm trying to play along with what I've heard so far but I'll need some time to polish this" quality. I'd criticize the production and everyone here astutely points out with Let It Be Naked.
@ShanePWagner
Жыл бұрын
Some of the issues may have also come from the fact that he was using a Fender Bass VI which has some well known intonation issues.
@texasdeb4563
Жыл бұрын
A question which should be asked is that if a take with a better bass line exists, why didn’t producer Spector use that bass track?
@BecomeABassist
Жыл бұрын
Because producers will (rightly so) almost always focus on the *vocal* take rather than anything else. It's what 99% of people will listen to rather than the bass or anything else. That's part of the reason why there's so many people in this very comment section who say that they'd never noticed the anomalies in the bass part. Spector likely chose his 'favorite' vocal performance, then got to work covering up the bass.
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