Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I think it is Ringo engaging his snare drum. I just figured that the beginning feedback was making the metal snares rattle, so he leaves it off for most of the opening, then flips the snare on towards the end, before the main riff starts.

Back in the "olden days" when I was doing a lot of home recording of bands, we used to run into that problem of rattling snares during "quieter" passages -- well, "quieter" except for the loud guitar noise that made the snares rattle.

Of course, now that I listen to it over and over, maybe I'm wrong. Dang you guys -- shattering ANOTHER of my long-held beliefs!

Honestly, to me it sounds like someone says "Quiet!"

In my opinion anyways... It sounds like a sneeze that was partially edited out.

There's all sorts of noises in old recordings, dropped sticks, doors closing, coughs, all sorts of stuff. There are Beatles tunes like "Eight Days A Week in which someone starts to sing the wrong line, forgot if that's the song though.

I have listened to the "strange noise" on I Feel Fine several times and honestly this sound is highly familiar to me. Yeah right!

Kidding aside, my first impression is that this latching type sound is the control buttons on a reel to reel tap recorder. If anyone remembers what that is these days. I spent too many hours recording with a reel to reel and I have this sound permanently etched in my temporal lobes.

I can't explain why this is on tape but someone was recording this session (asleep on the switch, who knows) and kicked it in before the song got under way. I have also considered various actions, releasing the pause button on the left or pressing the record and play buttons at the same time.

Of course, there are so many possibilities, but this is my take on it. I consider that it is a reel to reel being turned on record.

Peter, you are refering to I Feel Fine?

Yes from the Past Masters. The sound I hear at the beginning is definitely mechanical to my ears, not a voice.

Thought you were. My only thought is if you're working from a booth, I can't hear how the large 'plunk' of a tape machine could be heard in the actually studio, unless someone left a door open (unlikely), and it would still have to be pretty loud to be picked up on mics which were very directional. If that is what you meant.

Now, either when the vocals were being added or, and I'm assuming, when the amps may have been miked, some sound was picked up other than a human voice, which is very possible. But it still sounds like a voice to me....but this is what makes the Forum interesting, a little debating.

Stan: I cannot explain how the sound of a tape recorder being operated from a sound booth got on the tape through a microphone in the studio. Perhaps it didn't.

Perhaps the voices were being added to the feedback intro. This would be more than a bit sloppy, however, and I confess unlikely. But then again, how many years did it take us to focus on this?

Good question period, Peter(maybe in the future I won't bring this kind of stuff up). It only took me, well, how long is Past Masters been out? To even really discover it....and I can't count the times I've listened to the song, but not always from that disc.

One thing is likely for sure, we'll never really know what the sound was.

Lewisohn said the Best take was #9 (I think) and the vocals were added afterwards. So, I'll go with sloppy recording, and a voice...maybe (hope Paul doesn't see that).

The old German vinyl LP 'Greatest Hits' includes the stereo version of I Feel Fine with what appears to be an open vocal mike at the beginning, before the bass note that starts the feedback. It almost sounds like one of them imitating the sound of a tape deck engaging. Paul's 'woofing' can also clearly be heard at the fade out.

That LP has a couple of other oddities, like the hi-hat count-in to All My Loving...

Could it be a condenser mic brushing across a speaker grill cloth? Maybe Mal was positioned at the boom and pushed it the wrong way to reposition the mic after the "feedback" opening.

I just listened to it on the "Beatles 1" version. Sounds a bit like a sneeze or a cough that's dampened by a compressor or limiter. Could be something mechanical, though. It's dead center in the mix and I hear two other muffled noises prior to the sound being discussed. I'm not hearing snares being engaged, though.

Howdy,

Slightly off-topic. On my bootleg from the '65 Shea Stadium concert, John's tone on "I Feel Fine" is remarkable. Hearing that riff so big & chunky reverberating around Shea Stadium is a sonic delight!
This recording remains a "must have" for any serious Beatles' fan. Again John's little JG 320 sounded absolutely wild cranked up so loud.

Larry

The Shea Stadium soundtrack (bootleg) was actually sweetened up by the Beatles in the studio for the movie release back in 1965.

Twist and Shout is from the Hollywood Bowl performance.

Act Naturally is actually from the Ed Sullivan show!