I don’t know too much about James Taylor, but perhaps its time I start. I’m just gonna rattle off what I know off the top of my head. He was a recovering heroin addict, suffering from severe depression, when at some point he finally put his life together and allowed his incredible talent to flourish. He was one of the early super star signings for the fledgling “Apple Records,” the Beatles hot new label, cutting his first record with the help of Paul McCartney and George Harrison among others. Ever since the phenomenal success of his debut, he has sort of coasted along in the first class world of pop’s elder statesmen, performing his trusty hits, and melting hearts everywhere he goes with his perfect fragile style. This video of “Something in the Way She Moves,” a clip I first saw in the Beatles Anthology documentary, has always stuck with me. It’s just one of the purest examples of a man, his guitar, and a song. Even with his acne, it is perfection with no adornment, one of the ultimate expressions of the folk pop format executed with heart breaking beauty. James just has a way of drawing you into his intimate world, to a place we’ve all been to. It’s just spellbinding. Please watch this and appreciate the artistry and genius going on here.
The Beatles are one of those bands so famous, that to the untrained ear of the average person, its hard to tell which Beatle is singing what. Of course, such distinctions are “Beatles 101″ to hardcore fans, but part of the confusion lies in the seamless harmonic blend Lennon and McCartney produced in many of their classic hits. When they weren’t sharing a lead vocal or a song dominated by harmonies, the Beatles had simple rules about who was going to sing lead for any given song. Normally, the principle songwriter was the logical choice for the lead. It was very rare when these roles were reversed. For instance, there isn’t one song that George or Ringo wrote that John or Paul sang lead on, and there isn’t one instance in the Beatle catalog of Paul or John writing a song specifically for their partner to tackle. There were anomalies of course. Sometimes John would write a song with melodic sections too high for him to reach, so he’d have Paul take over. This is evident in the bridge 0f “A Hard Day’s Night,” and the choruses of “Anytime At All.” “Day Tripper,” another John song, was almost entirely out of John’s vocal range, and so Paul becomes the dominant voice throughout the verses with John beefing up the lower harmonies and the bridge. Despite this, John and Paul never poached each others tunes, or more exactly, they were so competitive, they wouldn’t allow it. This came to a head during the Abbey Road sessions when John really wanted Paul’s “Oh! Darling,” but Paul wouldn’t give it up. All this history leads to the rarity of the video I’m about to present which is a near complete performance of John Lennon singing Paul’s 1969 hit “Get Back.” What makes this so rare and interesting is that for starters, Paul sings the lead on the record and in the live rooftop performance. Secondly, to have John sing a Paul song with fun and relish right when they were breaking up is extremely bizarre given how their respective massive egos could barely keep them in the same room by that point. What’s also interesting about John’s performance here is that he includes bits of lyrics that Paul originally wrote about Pakistanis taking British jobs, but later cut out due to political incorrectness. So, with all that said, I’ve laid out this super treat of rock and roll goodness for all you to enjoy, but before you do, make sure to cast your vote for CBS’s Best Local NYC blogger, in which I’m a finalist. Remember, if you’ve voted already, you can vote again, once every day until the contest ends on September 9th. Just click these words to help me out, I really appreciate it!
Wait, don’t go just yet. As a bonus I’ve included another ultra rare performance, this time its none other than George Harrison taking his shot at singing lead at “Get Back.” He was doing as a guiding track for Doris Troy’s cover version that she was cutting for Apple in 1970. George isn’t as intense as John or Paul, but he’s having a good time leading this funkier version of “Get Back,” plus he even tries to make up his own new melodic section at the end before he gives up. AWESOME!
Part 71 of my youtube countdown begins in a flash with John Lennon’s 1970 release “Instant Karma.” “Instant Karma” is one of the fastest released songs in rock history. John wrote it in the morning, recorded it in the afternoon, and released it ten days later. The urgency of its release convinced karmic minded George Harrison to throw on his electric guitar. Other Plastic Ono’s include Yoko on backing vocals, Alan White of YES fame on drums, Klaus (Revolver cover designer) Voorman on bass, and Billy Preston on grand piano. The message of the song is awesome. John is pleading for people just to achieve a modicum of self awareness regarding their cosmic role in the universe, and how in light of that, they should drop their petty prejudices, quibbles, and fears, and thus embrace a more meaningful existence. It’s a beautiful message, and it rings true and instantly every time you play it.
