The closing track of John Lennon’s 1973 album Mind Games was also the b-side of the ‘Mind Games’ single.
When Lennon and Yoko Ono moved to New York City in August 1971, they initially stayed at the St Regis Hotel. While there Lennon recorded several song demos, including a song named ‘Shoeshine’.
The piece was a simple boogie rocker, including snippets from Gary US Bonds’ ‘Quarter To Three’. It also featured the lines “Just got to give me some rock ‘n’ roll/Well the people were dancing like they were mad”, which Lennon reworked for ‘Meat City’ two years later.
In the early summer of 1973 Lennon recorded home demos of several songs which ended up on Mind Games, one of which was ‘Meat City’. He taped two versions on an electric guitar; it was a blues-based boogie, and contained a riff which he later used towards the end of another song, ‘Steel And Glass’.
By the time he recorded the album ‘Meat City’ had become a cacophonous guitar noise, an approximation of the wildness of New York that he found so alluring. When released as the final song on Mind Games it was an antidote to the pensive nature of much of the rest of the album.
Two versions of ‘Meat City’ were issued, each with different backwards messages after the first verse. The single mix suggested listeners “Check the album”. Had they done so, and played the disc in reverse, they would have found the high-pitched voice instructing them to “F**k a pig”.
In the studio
‘Meat City’ was recorded in 18 takes on 3 August 1973 at New York City’s Record Plant studio.
Four tape reels were used. The first contained just a single incomplete take. The reel also contained the master take of ‘You Are Here’.
Reel 2 had takes 2-6, though only 3 and 4 were complete. The third reel contained a further nine takes, numbered 7-15. Of those, only take 16 was complete.
The final reel had the incomplete take 17, which was followed by take 18, the master take. It had Lennon on vocals and electric rhythm guitar, David Spinozza on electric lead guitar, Ken Ascher on piano, Gordon Edwards on bass guitar, and two drum parts by Jim Keltner and Rick Marotta.
The overdubs included two lead vocal parts, vocal harmonies, tambourine, and another electric guitar part by Lennon; snare drum by Keltner; electric piano by Ascher; and two saxophone parts by Michael Brecker. The final mix also included a sample of backing vocals by Something Different, recorded on 16 August.
‘Meat City’ was mixed on 24 and 31 August, and 7 and 9 September 1973.
I bought the Mind Games single when it came out. Played the part backwards then checked the album. It was so cool!
what is he saying at the end, “some places you can buy a?”
The actual quote is “who is that, who is that, who is that…wildly doing…those…strange…things.” i actually owned the ’45 way back in the day. Very easy to understand even on the fade out. Unfortunately the engineers decided to fade it out way to quickly for the re bmastered CD and lost what a lot of beatles fans hold on to dearly…the random babbling of john.
“Who is that , who is that and why are they doing those strange things “ , I think you’ll find is the fade out.