Written by: Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Starr
Recorded: 5 January 1967
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Unreleased
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr: vocals, organ, guitar, tambourine, effects, loops
Possibly the most sought-after unreleased Beatles track, Carnival Of Light was an experimental composition recorded in January 1967.
An early excursion into the world of avant garde music, which would culminate more than a year later with the release of John Lennon's Revolution 9, Carnival Of Light was led by Paul McCartney, and taped in a single day during the Penny Lane sessions.
In 1966 McCartney had a piano painted in psychedelic colours by the design team Binder, Edwards and Vaughan. McCartney met David Vaughan through a mutual friend, Tara Browne, the Guinness heir whose death partly inspired the lyrics of A Day In The Life.
The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave
In December 1966 Vaughan asked McCartney to contribute a recording for two events, to be promoted by the designers in the Roundhouse venue in Camden, London, on 28 January and 4 February 1967. The events were variously known as The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave or the Carnival of Light Rave.
Although McCartney was in the early stages of recording the Sgt Pepper album, he agreed to make a recording for Vaughan. In spite of this, Vaughan wasn't entirely impressed with the results:
I asked Paul to do it and I thought he would make more of it than he did; I thought this was a vehicle for him, if anything was. My trouble is, I expect everybody to drop everything. I forget other people have got things on.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
The events also featured taped contributions by Unit Delta Plus, a collective whose members included Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and fellow electronic music pioneer Peter Zinovieff.
Of all The Beatles' recordings, relatively little is known about Carnival Of Light. It came to light in 1988, with the publication of Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions.
The recording was described by Barry Miles, a long-term friend to Paul McCartney, and the writer of his authorised biography. Miles reportedly played a part in the genesis of the recording.
The tape has no rhythm, though a beat is sometimes established for a few bars by the percussion or a rhythmic pounding on the piano. There is no melody, though snatches of a tune sometimes threaten to break through. The Beatles make literally random sounds, although they sometimes respond to each other; for instance, a burst of organ notes answered by a rattle of percussion. The basic track was recorded slow so that some of the drums and organ were very deep and sonorous, like the bass notes of a cathedral organ. Much of it is echoed and it is often hard to tell if you are listening to a slowed-down cymbal or a tubular bell. John and Paul yell with massive amounts of reverb on their voices, there are Indian war cries, whistling, close-miked gasping, genuine coughing and fragments of studio conversation, ending with Paul asking, with echo, 'Can we hear it back now?' The tape was obviously overdubbed and has bursts of feedback guitar, schmaltzy cinema organ, snatches or jangling pub piano, some unpleasant electronic feedback and John yelling, 'Electricity'. There is a great deal of percussion throughout, again much of it overdubbed. The tape was made with full stereo separation, and is essentially an exercise in musical layers and textures. It most resembles The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet, the twelve-minute final track on Frank Zappa's Freak Out! album, except there is no rhythm and the music here is more fragmented, abstract and serious. The deep organ notes at the beginning of the piece set the tone as slow and contemplative.
Many Years From Now
Thanks for the detail on this story. Sounds like Doris gets her oats! I dig a pygmy.
I would imagine that this song along with several others might have been released except for the M.Jackson thorn in the buttocks. Maybe any new song or program might well see the preceeds go to Michael Jackson beings he purchased the catalogue of Beatles Music out from under the noses of the composers. I would hate to release something that's supposed to be the most sought after tune in their catalogue and allow the glory, money, go to some freak that has nothing to do with it except have a lkot of money which is depleting as I type or so I've heard. It might be different if MAC owned his own songs.
thanks for the intel, but i just wish that we could hear Carnival Of Light so we could get a feeling of the good old beatles raw and undisputed talent
Well i believe that if carnival of light is a pure beatles track, than we, the public, have a right to hear the track..... and yes this is William Campbell
This article contains as much information about this particular recording as I've been able to glean so far on the internet. Thank you for this, TBB! While I'd love dearly to be able to have an opportunity to give "Carnival of Light" a listen, the thought of never hearing it at all doesn't exactly keep me awake at night either.
Perhaps Beatle George had it right in the first place. Avant garde = "'avan't garde a clue". I must admit to having enjoyed all of the Fab's dabblings into that experimental realm however, at least as much of it which has already been released, on bootlegs or otherwise.
"Revolution #9" is an essential component of the "White Album, imo.
I looked CoL up on YouTube, and I don't think that I actually found the recording. That really sucked, because I really want to hear it.
Yeah, I did the same. Most of them are fakes, I think. But Paul did mention some sort of release of the song in an article I read, so there still is hope!!!
All youtube Carnival Of Light are fakes.
Neither in official, unofficial or bootleg.
This is one of the real unreleased songs of The Beatles, along with some other alternate takes (like Twist & Shout Take 2), or other unreleased songs.
paul , please release the song!
This is i think the most famous unreleased Beatles song.
I want it to complete my tribute of Sgt. Pepper in a new remixed (from original multitracks and three channel separation left, center, right) album by myself, called: The Sgt. Pepper's And His One And Only Lonely Hearts Club Band, with 17 songs in the followed order:
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- With A Little Help From My Friends
- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
- Getting Better
- Fixing A Hole
- She's Leaving Home
- Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
- (OPTIONAL: Carnival Of Light i might put it here or...)
- Within You Without You
- When I'm Sixty-Four
- Lovely Rita
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Penny Lane
- Only A Northern Song
- (OPTIONAL 2: Carnival Of Light i want it more here)
- Good Morning Good Morning
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
- A Day In The Life
Please Sir Paul, let's hear it!
I have something that i want that all beatle fans have to know:
Supposedly, a 13:48 minute track in a 2009 released Russian bootleg called ''Now And Then'' contains: Carnival Of Light!
I heard partially this track and includes this that may indicates that this is the real:
''The shouting of Are You all right? and Barcelona! of Paul & John''.
''Drumming of Strawberry Fields Forever''
''Reverb practically in all the mix''
''The track last exactly 13:48''
But here's some other things that may prove that is a fake:
''Sounds from a concerto used on Revolution 9 (1968), this mix was recorded and taped on 5 January 1967. An explanation could be that this was used here, but because it was unreleased they may recycled this concerto on revolution 9.''
''What's The New Mary Jane (1968) shouts; another explanation is that maybe this sounds we're recorded during the Pepper sessions and used in this other unreleased track.''
''The ending echo voice ''Can we hear it back now?'' is not in this track''.
I'll upload it and comment about it.
Yeah, I heard that fake. Interesting track, but it is most definitely fake. I think they lifted the barcelona yells off of this humorous fake, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPw-cAuR9wo&feature=related
It's all hype ya'll! The song is garbage! Might make you laugh, or cry. If it's anything related to "Revolution #9" then I'll pass.
actually my freind Nick has a copy of the unreleased album its tracked on its really good or ...well i like it anyway. and yes he really does say “Can we hear it back now?” its soaked in echo though
(Carnival of light is a title track btw)
Dave - which album are you talking about? I'm not aware of this track having ever been bootlegged.
Carnival Of Light was never the title track of anything - it was the name of an event, and the recording was actually called Untitled. If your friend Nick has a copy, could you please upload it to webspace and share it with this rest of us?
no bootlegging invoved it has a alternative version of the word but i dont remember the other songs there were like5 or 6 he has copies of the original film tapes(master tapes) the track was meant to be realesed for an event yes but i guess afterward they were going to realease it as an album
and im not in contact with nick at the moment but when i am i will get him to put it up on his site
that version of the word is completly different too i was shocked at the fact that he had so many different takes and versions of these songs i had no idea Carnival of light was so sought after
If this is legit, please let us know when your friend has uploaded it or keep us updated.
I've got this thread bookmarked so I can easily come back and click links
I don't think I knew what wonderful music was until I heard the Beatles!!!!
in fact you can ask him your self i may not be able to contact him i have his info if you'd like to here it you should ask him to put it up on the web he is on myspace and twitter as well ashis own web site http://www.KingNi2.webs.com
http://www.myspace.com/kingni2
on xfire as
http://www.xfire.com/profile/kingni2/
and twitter
http://www.twitter.com/dr_ni2
i have been begging him to put it up but if you bug him about it enough he'll do it
Thanks Dave. I was in two minds about posting the links here, but if someone wants to contact him and enquire about Carnival Of Light, please report back. And of ni2 wants me to take down these links, I'd be happy to oblige.
I'm happy to help out with any one that wants to hear it, I like it so it's something I'd like to share with others btw on his website be sure to sign the guest book so he knows just how many people are asking I've been trying to get him to put it up for a year or so
PLEASE go on to one of these links and ask nick to put it up_dc
I heard that it was once played at the beginning of a Pink Floyd-show, end 60's, begin 70's, and THAT was captured on tape (visual, not sound), I have a tendency to trust the source as he knew a lot about the Beatles.
listened to the Now and then-fake...
I don't believe that it's gonna sound anything like that, but hey: Whatever people do to strengthen the myth...
i hate avant-garde music... especially revolution nine. but then again, this isn't john and yoko. i suppose id like to give it a hear
Don't ever release this... Revolution #9 contained no musical talent at all
They could of put another 2 or 3 songs on instead of this.
George Martin agrees