Music Blog

Feb Fab Faux Four #29

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

© Misky

This is it, kids …. the final installment of Feb Fab Faux Four! What a trip this has been for me!

The Beatles have been in my life since WMCA NY disc jockey Jack Spector played “I Want To Hold Your Hand” on December 26, 1963. That’s a very long time ago – just over 60 years – and I imagine some of you weren’t even born yet. I’ve seen the Beatles perform live in concert and I’ve lived through every transformation in the 7 years, 7 months and 24 days they were together. I loved them. I still love them. They are not only in my heart but in my soul.

My goal here on this month-long blog was to have fun and not try to convert anyone into becoming Beatles fans, but after 29 days, I think I may have done exactly that with a few of you.

During this month I discovered that really good Beatles covers are very difficult to find; they are few and far between. Also, judging by the fact that almost every Beatles video presented on this blog was preferred over the cover reinforced what I already knew: the Beatles are hard to beat. They are the best group that ever was or ever will be!

🪲

Now it’s time to get into our final song.

Many Beatles tracks have had interesting afterlives, and this is one of them. It sits towards the end of the last album they made together – 1969’s Abbey Road – but it is less a song than a segment, a tender part of the medley at the end of side two. In one minute and 32 seconds, it evokes nostalgia, innocence and loss in its lyrics and melody, about the impossibility of getting back home (“Once there was a way…”), and the singing of lullabies to a child (“Sleep, pretty darling, do not cry”).

Next comes the seventh and penultimate song in the album’s climactic medley. It features unison vocals in the chorus from all four Beatles, a rarity in their songs. The middle bridge – featuring brass instruments, electric guitar, and vocals – reprises the beginning of “You Never Give Me Your Money”, but with different words. The lyrics have been interpreted as an acknowledgement by the group that nothing they would do as individual artists would equal what they had achieved together, and they would always carry the weight of their Beatle past. The song is said to be about the Beatles’ business difficulties and the atmosphere at Apple at the time.

The final song of the medley is quite clearly the denouement, not only of the album but of the Beatles as a group. All four Beatles have a solo, including a Ringo Starr drum solo. Ringo disliked solos, preferring to cater drum work to whoever sang in a particular performance; in fact, this is the only drum solo he recorded with the Beatles. George, John and Paul perform a rotating sequence of three, two-bar guitar solos. The idea for a guitar instrumental over this section was George’s, and John suggested the three of them each play a section. The Beatles’ recording engineer, Geoff Emerick, later recalled: “John, Paul and George looked like they had gone back in time, like they were kids again, playing together for the sheer enjoyment of it. More than anything, they reminded me of gunslingers, with their guitars strapped on, looks of steely-eyed resolve, determined to outdo one another. Yet there was no animosity, no tension at all – you could tell they were simply having fun.” In 2007, the final track of the medley was ranked at number 7 on Q magazine’s list “The 20 Greatest Guitar Tracks”.

I listened to a lot of cover versions of this medley and it was impossible to find one that I really liked, except for Phil Collins. I came very close to going with Phil’s recording but I just couldn’t hit the share button on the video. For me, his remake is more of a George Martin remake with Phil singing Paul’s part and playing the drums over a Beatles’ recording. Since I couldn’t find the perfect cover, I made the decision to close out this month by playing only one version …. the original. Nothing else will do. If anyone knows of a version they think is better than or comparable to the original, you are most welcome to drop the link into the comments box. I look forward to hearing them. No professional tribute bands, please.

I can’t think of a better way to say “the end” than by featuring the medley from the fabulous Abbey Road. Here are the Beatles with “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End”.

https://youtu.be/T3TELuf_6MQ?si=q3cL-hTEqhGCtBhT

That, my friends, is how it’s done!

I hope you enjoyed spending February together listening to Beatles music; it’s been an incredible experience for me. To you who stuck with me and left comments throughout the month, I am in awe of you and so greatly appreciative. Thank you!

As the Beatles sang: “And in the end the love you make is equal to the love you take“.

See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2024

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NAR © 2017-present.

44 thoughts on “Feb Fab Faux Four #29”

  3. How beautiful is this? The Beatles had a big enough catalogue to fill several months with inspirational music, how you whittled it down I don’t know but you did a grand job.

    To me, they were on a different level from other songwriters and I wish their music had remained theirs, and theirs alone.

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    1. Deciding to do this blog as a tribute to the Beatles was easy. Choosing just 29 songs was the hardest part. Every time Bill was in my car with me and a rather obscure Beatles song came on the radio, I’d say “That’s a great song for my blog! Quick – take a pic of the radio!” and Bill would oblige.

      I’m so glad you enjoyed my posts this month, Keith. I agree … they were definitely on a different level from anyone else!

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  4. I was hoping (and praying) that your final one would be ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’. Still a good choice to finish with though. Abbey Road is my favourite Beatles album by far. I enjoyed your Fab Faux Four posts Nancy.

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  5. And THAT’S how you wrap it up.

    Nicely done!

    Yanno, I had never noticed that on the cover of Abbey Road, all have their left foot forward except for barefoot Paul. How had I never noticed? Oh yeah… coz I never bought a single Beatles album in my life and I never spent hours holding it and looking it over. Of course, you would know that but still, I had to share my ignorance!

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    1. Well, thanks for baring your soul, Dale!

      It’s all about Paul being out of step because he’s dead (or so the conspiracy theory goes) and the cover of the album is supposed to be his funeral procession, with George dressed as the gravedigger, Ringo the undertaker, and John the preacher. They knew how to have fun and how to provoke people. It’s the best album ever!

      Thanks for your comments; I really wanted this to be a great wrap up!

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  8. I agree on the original, which was part of one of the best album ‘side two’ ever. I played this on YouTube and it seems to be a cover itself, though a very good one, by someone calling himself AndyBoy. I checked on the Beatles’ own page and they haven’t shared these as a trilogy – they show as individual tracks. Have you been beaten by a cover on your final day?

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    1. It’s quite good, Clive, for what it is. To my ear, AndyBoy sounds like he needs a good shot of brandy to get his engine running. He’s talented and did a good job …. he’s just lacking the soul and depth we hear in the original. It’s a ghost song.

      This is AndyBoy:

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        2. See, you were too subtle the first time! 😂

          When preparing this post and looking for the medley, I kept seeing all the same videos to choose from. Then I saw the apple and thought “At last! Something different!” I didn’t realize it was AndyBoy because (gasp) I didn’t listen; I just assumed it was the Beatles. Rookie mistake. Thanks for setting me straight, Clive.

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  9. yes I agree this is a great end to the month it’s perfect! You have done a sterling job this month and I been a George fan since 1962. Well done 💜💜

    But I love Elbow’s version of Golden Slumbers which accompanied a Christmas advert the version I have chosen is simple the Golden Slumbers section and shows the making of the advert.

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    1. Thanks, Willow. I love Elbow and really enjoy their work. This is a terrific advert and a great version of the song. I was, however, looking for the entire medley in cover form, not just one track.

      I enjoyed this a lot; thanks for sharing Golden Slumbers.

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  10. The day I bought that album, I came home, lit up a joint, carefully pulled the album out of its cover and placed it on the turntable. I put on my wired headphones connected to my stereo amplifier and lowered the diamond needle on the arm of the turntable onto the record. I sat down cross-legged in front of the stereo and listed to the songs on side one, while continuing to take hits from my doobie. I thought side one of the album was great, and I moved over to the turntable and flipped the record to side two. I took another few hits from the joint, and by this time had a pretty good buzz on. Then side two started playing. I was mesmerized by the incredible music I was listening to as the songs merged with one another in a perfect medley. By the time it got to the end, I was absolutely blown away, so moved by the music that tears were streaming down my cheeks. I thought the album was over and then “Her Majesty” came on, scaring the shit outta me and literally making me jump. Then I started laughing hysterically.

    I had never before experienced anything like side two of Abbey Road. It was phenomenal. I think side two of Abbey Road is arguably the best music of its genre every recorded and it’s why I rate Abbey Road as my personal favorite Beatles album and possibly even my favorite album of all time.

    Thank you, Nancy, for reminding me how totally incredible this album is and for giving us a whole month sharing the magic of arguably the best musical band ever.

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    1. WOW! Now I’m the one who is blown away. Thank you, Fan, sincerely. That was one of the most relatable and honest reads; I feel validated.

      I’ve listed to Abbey Road hundreds of times, both stoned and not, and the same thing happens every time: I get lost in it. I stop what I’m doing and just listen. I’ve pulled off the road and turned up the volume. I’ve burned food on the stove because of this album. I’ve missed exits on the highway. Sometimes when I’m driving, I arrive at my destination without even being aware of having driven there. I am one with this album and there’s no other way I could have ended this blog.

      Everything you said about Abbey Road holds true for me as well and I know I don’t have to tell you again how I feel about the Beatles.

      I’d like to share a quote I’ve used before. It’s just too good not to share here and now:

      “I tell you, there is no other band,
      there will never be any band like them ever,
      for eternity. They are the best.
      I say to you here in 1965
      that the children of 2000
      will be listening to The Beatles.
      And I sincerely mean that.” –
      Brian Epstein, Manager

      Well, here we are in 2024; I’d say Brian Epstein knew what he was talking about.

      Thank you again, Fan. I did this blog primarily as a tribute to the Beatles and for people like you. It feels awesome to know it was appreciated.

      💫 ✨

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      2. Fandango, I happened across The Analogues awhile back. They meticulously research each song and use the exact models of instruments, sound equipment, etc. that the Fab 4 used in the original recordings. Check them out on youtube. They are *amazing* as you have heard. Happy to share 🙂

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    3. Lisa, you’ll notice I never shared anything by the Analogues in this blog and there’s a reason for that …. they are a professional tribute band and while they are excellent, this is their “job”. People come to hear them pay (or play) tribute to the Beatles; they buy tickets to their tribute shows. They are not the Cheap Tricks or Aerosmiths or Sterophonics or Joe Cockers who do a Beatles cover every now and then in their concerts. This is what the Analogues do all the time.

      You won’t find any professional tribute bands in this blog.

      That said, there is no taking away from their talent. Thanks for the share, Lisa.

      https://www.theanalogues.net/

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