Beatles as pianists.....

cowboy_joe · Post by **cowboy_joe** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 4:23 pm

Forgive me if this is a "duh!" sort of observation, but lately I've noticed more and more that for a group of (primarily) guitar players, the Fabs were pretty smart about where to throw in a little piano or keyboard part. Especially in middle period, before they got on to doing full fledged piano based arrangements, the keyboard work on tracks like Any Time at All, Every Little Thing, and even the organ on Dizzy Miss Lizzie are really fundamental to the sound of the song. Once again, forgive me if you all have figured this out a long time ago, but it's just one more way I'm impressed by the finer touches of the lads.

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 4:30 pm

A lot of the early keyboard work on Beatles records is actually George Martin (the real fifth Beatle). In later years, Paul played a lot of piano, and John played some keyboards.

studiotwosession · Post by **studiotwosession** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 4:47 pm

Lennon played pretty serious keys during the MMT sessions, and some of the most far out stuff (mellotron, etc.)

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds most likely was written on keys.

Not sure who's dabbling away one Baby You're a Rich Man but it's brilliant (i.e. lead keys, not piano.)

Then there's Hey Bulldog. John was no slouch on the bench.

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:07 pm

Oh, I know. John was competent on keyboards. And that is him on a Hohner Clavioline on BYARM.

But George Martin still played most keyboards on the Beatles 1963-1964 work, and still played some keyboards through the rest of the Beatles career.

cowboy_joe · Post by **cowboy_joe** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:35 pm

I agree whole heartedly on George M.'s contributions, and as he was with all things, Lennon wasn't the greatest player but he sure knew how to use the chops he had. I always get a kick out of watching his hands in some of the video of him at the piano--his form would make a piano teacher shudder.

I'm just impressed from an arrangers standpoint--I certainly wouldn't have thought to double the bass part on Every Little Thing or put Hammond on top of the rhythm guitar on Dizzy Miss Lizzie, but the instant to take those away you realize the song is missing something.

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:53 pm

BTW, Cowboy joe - AFAIK, there's no organ on Dizzy Miss Lizzie. Perhaps you're thinking of I'm Down? The Vox Continental organ on that is played by John.

einar · Post by **einar** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:42 am

I'm Down: The last song on the set for the Beatles' last ever public concert at Candlestick Park, August 29th 1966 (soon to be exactly 40 years ago!). I've read this was the first time John played the Vox on stage. If that is true, that goes for talent! This performance is impressive and great entertainment. But I suspect some sound cosmetics has been put on later. It's hard to believe they really sounded that good.

einar · Post by **einar** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:45 am

Would be interesting to have some trained players out there rate each of the Beatles as piano players. They all had some skill.

davclr · Post by **davclr** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:10 am

Actually, JWL first played that little Vox organ on stage at Shea Stadium in August 1965, for "I'm Down," just within a couple of days of The Fabs taping the 1965 CBS season opener of The Ed Sullivan Show (where he also played the Vox). It still amazes me watching him play it with his elbow and yet it still made musical sense!

cowboy_joe · Post by **cowboy_joe** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:17 am

As for Dizzy Miss L., there's definitely an organ playing triplets in there--it comes up in the mix toward the end, and John throws in some glisandos during the last instrumental verse. I don't having official word saying it's Lennon, but he usually played organ at that point and the style sounds like him.

Scastles · Post by **Scastles** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:38 am

Believe you're right, CJ, Lennon is on the Hammond and I think also, McCartney is playing an electric piano on the cut.

westtexasrickenbacker · Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:30 am

Paul played the keyboard part to "Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds"

He also played the mellotron on "Strawberry Fields Forever". Many of the keyboard parts on Beatles' songs were played by George Martin, particularly the early stuff, as noted.

John was a great composer, and as such, could write a great song even on piano, but as had been noted on numerous biography books, he wasn't an advanced or even an average piano player.

George Martin is on record as saying the only Beatle with real chops on the piano was Paul, and even then, he characterized Paul's playing simply as adequate.

cowboy_joe · Post by **cowboy_joe** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:38 pm

You're probably right, Alex--though I get a kick out of Ringo's piano playing on Don't Pass Me By, and the little accents on I'm Looking Through You.

There's a part on the Gimme Some Truth video that shows JWL and Nicky Hopkins working out Imagine on the piano, and Lennon says something like "It's pretty simple, but I might be bit daft and get it backwords."

George Martin, I think, was a pretty excellent piano player, as far as I can tell--his work just on Long Tall Sally is enough to put him high in my book, let alone all the other songs.

studiotwosession · Post by **studiotwosession** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:27 am

There is a photo somewhere (not a particularly good or clear one) of Lennon and George Martin both on keys, during the Pepper sessions I believe it is.

I think it was in the old book "An Illustrated Record, which was around during the 70s, and had a penchant for pages spewing loose from its binding (which means few copies of it remain?)

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:41 am

Glenn wrote:
"I think it was in the old book "An Illustrated Record, which was around during the 70s, and had a penchant for pages spewing loose from its binding (which means few copies of it remain?)"

Probably put together by the same people who did the "Get Back" book. I have a copy of "Illustrated Record" around somewhere...