The Beatles Bible - Topic: So...who does what?

Joe on So...who does what?

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:06:58 +0100

Hey, good to have you back mjb.

mjb on So...who does what?

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:03:08 +0100

This bit is interesting from a recent interview with Paul:

MOJO: Any other moments where George really brought something to the song?

PAUL: I think George always brought something to all the songs. Me, George and John originally had a little set-up with just the three of us on three guitars. That was our first kinda little incarnation. And we would go to talent shows and lose them with that line-up. [chuckles] So what I mean is, any of us could take the guitar parts. So, for instance, I Feel Fine was John's riff and started off by him leaning the guitar ...

mjb on So...who does what?

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 10:35:08 +0100

"Into the Sky with Diamonds" said:

John's piano intro on Paul's "Ob la di..."

Reminds me of a brilliant anecdote I read about this where John was so fed up keeping on trying out new ideas for this song, that he just waltzed into the session and slammed these chords out on the piano and said this was it......and Paul liked it! Hence the song was finally created as we hear it.....

paulsbass on So...who does what?

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 17:12:07 +0100

"Into the Sky with Diamonds" said:

With regard to intros, there was no rule:

It's Paul's piano intro on George's "While My Guitar..."

Paul's guitar intro on John's "Ticket to Ride"

George's intro on Ringo's (Octopus Garden)

John's piano intro on Paul's "Ob la di..."

IMHO, this lack of hierarchy and rules was one of the many secrets to their success....

Paul's intro on the mellotron on "Strawberry fields forever".

Paul's intro on that Lowry Organ on "Lucy in the sky with diamonds".

meanmistermustard on So...who does what?

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:27:55 +0100

Certainly later on Paul was generally more controlling over his songs, usually having it worked out before the band would record it (George staying in the studio booth after trying to play an answering guitar phrase on Hey Jude) but would occasionally listen to ideas. John was more open to suggestions. I think George was pretty much left to get on with working his songs out on his own, even if he wanted help. They all would offer Ringo help with George playing a major hand in making Octopus's Garden into a fully crafted song.

In the early days they all would thrown in ...

Into the Sky with Diamonds on So...who does what?

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 03:12:59 +0100

With regard to intros, there was no rule:

It's Paul's piano intro on George's "While My Guitar..."

Paul's guitar intro on John's "Ticket to Ride"

George's intro on Ringo's (Octopus Garden)

John's piano intro on Paul's "Ob la di..."

IMHO, this lack of hierarchy and rules was one of the many secrets to their success....

kedame on So...who does what?

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:35:27 +0100

Thanks for the responses! And thanks for the welcome back. I still read here and check in from time-to-time, but it's been a busy summer!

mr. Sun king coming together on So...who does what?

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:00:30 +0100

Oh, I think that most of the time a John song with a riff was developed by John, but John was more willing to go to George to finish a riff then Paul was. But I like your last line, Gnik. There are no rules. But generally, the songwriter typically wrote the riff. And Kedame, welcome back.

GniknuS on So...who does what?

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:33:14 +0100

I wouldn't say John would automatically go to George to clean up his ideas. Don't necessarily sell him short now, I Feel Fine is really hard to play, lot of pinkey action there, and I believe he played it live as well as sung which must have been really tough.

I would definitely say that John's stuff is the most riff oriented, his harder stuff like Cold Turkey and Well, Well, Well feature some nasty riffs, but his acoustic stuff like Dear Prudence, Julia and Octopus's Garden feature similar riffs that are based around his travis picking technique.

Riffs to me are either one of ...

mr. Sun king coming together on So...who does what?

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:37:37 +0100

kedame said:

As I've said before, I really do not know a whole lot about music or roles in a band, and I was listening to Paperback Writer and Daytripper and wondering,"Who comes up with those intros/riffs?" So, is it the lead guitarist on the song or the songwriter who comes up with those?

If it was a Paul song, typically it was Paul, but on John's songs it would be John with a semblance of an idea which George would finish. But generally, intros and riffs are songwriter inventions.

kedame on So...who does what?

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 05:29:28 +0100

As I've said before, I really do not know a whole lot about music or roles in a band, and I was listening to Paperback Writer and Daytripper and wondering,"Who comes up with those intros/riffs?" So, is it the lead guitarist on the song or the songwriter who comes up with those?