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5.15pm
3 September 2012
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It is a well-known fact that George played some random notes and wrote a backwards solo for I'm Only Sleeping, but how many people have heard it backwards the way George played it? It could be done with audacity, but there are versions on YouTube for those who don't have it. I looked it up but then I decided to listen in audacity and reverse it myself. I thought it would have fit very well originally, but the backwards does make an excellent addition to the song.
I'll just leave it here in case anybody is curious.
4.40am
1 May 2010
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Thanks for sharing this! It is really interesting to hear. So, what we know is that George recorded the guitar and then they played it backwards? Sorry for my ignorance. 
7.39am
20 December 2010
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mithveaen said
Thanks for sharing this! It is really interesting to hear. So, what we know is that George recorded the guitar and then they played it backwards? Sorry for my ignorance.
Yes and it was George who was innovative and came up with the idea for the backwards guitar solos and not Paul though some have thought it was him.
12.10pm
1 May 2011
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Did it not take George something like 10 hours to work it out and record? If so thats nearly how long it took them to make their first album!!! Talk about determination and dedication. Was definately worth it tho, it sounds wonderful and so matches the song.
12.52pm
29 November 2012
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I've never read he wrote it "randomly," rather that he wrote a solo, then re-wrote it in reverse, played it in reverse, and the played the tape backwards so that the music was being played forward (as he wrote it) but with the backwards effect on the guitar. It was very well thought out and executed, not just slapped together and played backwards.
1.31pm
1 May 2011
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DrBeatle said
I've never read he wrote it "randomly," rather that he wrote a solo, then re-wrote it in reverse, played it in reverse, and the played the tape backwards so that the music was being played forward (as he wrote it) but with the backwards effect on the guitar. It was very well thought out and executed, not just slapped together and played backwards.
Thats what ive read numerous times, it being all worked out and planned by George. Where did you get it was random Holsety?
3.51pm
3 September 2012
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I was talking about the rest of the song, where you hear random notes. George said he and Paul played random notes for the rest of the guitar parts on Anthology, in that segment where they listen to Golden Slumbers and Tomorrow Never Knows. I know he spent 5 hours or so in a night session writing the solo.
4.56pm
29 November 2012
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I thought the rest of the backward notes in the song were just them randomly fading in and out the loop the solo was on?
5.01pm
3 September 2012
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..2J9zIuredY
at about 5:50; I would embed it but it's disabled.
He may be mistaken, but I thought that's where the other random notes came from.
7.22pm
1 May 2011
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There are 4 mixes out there (UK and us stereo and mono) that have different guitar parts in different places and from what the books say it was due to where the guitar track was faded up and down.
Dont remember hearing what George said before. I thought John went home with a Rain early mix, got it all muddled up because he was stoned and thats how the end of that came about. Never heard it also happened with Im Only Sleeping. Maybe it happened with both.
A site called Beatle Books has an article on the song and goes into the solo and all the mixes, you can read that here.
Belows the clip in question, starts at 5:25.
8.16pm
9 May 2012
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Inner Light said
mithveaen said
Thanks for sharing this! It is really interesting to hear. So, what we know is that George recorded the guitar and then they played it backwards? Sorry for my ignorance.Yes and it was George who was innovative and came up with the idea for the backwards guitar solos and not Paul though some have thought it was him.
Wasn't it Johns Rain first song who had backwards? And they did backwards thing with every song after that?
11.06pm
3 September 2012
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Long John Silver said
Inner Light said
mithveaen said
Thanks for sharing this! It is really interesting to hear. So, what we know is that George recorded the guitar and then they played it backwards? Sorry for my ignorance.Yes and it was George who was innovative and came up with the idea for the backwards guitar solos and not Paul though some have thought it was him.
Wasn't it Johns Rain first song who had backwards? And they did backwards thing with every song after that?
Rain's vocal track was backwards near the end, but George could have thought of backwards guitar solos.
11.17pm
9 May 2012
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They did every song backwards so solo guitar was going to happen for sure 
.
11.33pm
5 November 2011
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Inner Light said
mithveaen said
Thanks for sharing this! It is really interesting to hear. So, what we know is that George recorded the guitar and then they played it backwards? Sorry for my ignorance.Yes and it was George who was innovative and came up with the idea for the backwards guitar solos and not Paul though some have thought it was him.
Calm down, nobody was taking anything from George. I don't know how innovative that really was, though, wasn't it John's idea to have the backwards vocals on Rain? It's not that creative to think of backwards guitar solos after having backward vocals on one of your previous records.
12.58am
1 May 2011
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Can we not go back down the well worn path of Paul v George v John v Ringo v Pete. Not saying we are there yet but for some reason a lot of threads end up with debates over whether Paul thought up the triangle and that made the song or if it was George or whoever.
And isnt there a backwards guitar in Tomorrow Never Knows albeit a tape loop? Actually wiki has it as a backwards guitar solo. Cant remember the session date however so it may have been after the other sessions.
2.06pm
29 November 2012
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I had read for many years that the backwards solo in TMK was just the solo from Taxman sped up and played backward, but recently I've been reading this wasn't true. Is it a leftover from I'm Only Sleeping?
4.55pm
9 May 2012
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unknown said
Inner Light said
mithveaen said
Thanks for sharing this! It is really interesting to hear. So, what we know is that George recorded the guitar and then they played it backwards? Sorry for my ignorance.Yes and it was George who was innovative and came up with the idea for the backwards guitar solos and not Paul though some have thought it was him.
Calm down, nobody was taking anything from George. I don't know how innovative that really was, though, wasn't it John's idea to have the backwards vocals on Rain? It's not that creative to think of backwards guitar solos after having backward vocals on one of your previous records.
That's what I am talking about. It was Johns idea, after that they did everything backwards, and guitar solo was inevitable.
5.25pm
31 March 2008
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By coincidence, last night I reversed (ie made forwards) the backwards vocals in Rain, the solo in Tomorrow Never Knows and the main solo in I'm Only Sleeping. If you click through and listen to them you'll be able to hear how they were originally recorded.
The one for I'm Only Sleeping is particularly interesting. It sounds pretty awful forwards (though the TNK one isn't much better), so I'm inclined to believe George really did prepare and rehearse how he wanted it to sound backwards before reversing the notation.
11.38pm
14 December 2009
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DrBeatle said
I had read for many years that the backwards solo in TMK was just the solo from Taxman sped up and played backward, but recently I've been reading this wasn't true. Is it a leftover from I'm Only Sleeping?
I suspect the TNK solo is outtakes from alternate attempts at the "Taxman" solo. A six-note phrase that recurs three times (with slight variations) in TNK is almost the same as one in the "Taxman" solo.
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