"Octopus's Garden" intro

[elicross]

Anybody know who played the intro to the Beatles' "Octopus's Garden" on Abbey Road? And what guitar he was playing? It sounds so country, makes me wonder what it was. Was it George on his Gretsch Country Gentleman?

Google has proven...unhelpful. :P

[CocoTone]

Sounds like he neck pickup on a Strat or Tele.

CT.

[elicross]

As late in their career as this album is, I guess it's very possible George was playing a Strat or Tele, right? I know a lot of the country-fied sound comes from the playing rather than the gear, but it did make me wonder what he was playing.

I've said this before, but I think there should be a law that says all guitar players should be required to document and publish exactly what gear they were using when they recorded any given song.

[Wilko]

Sure sounds like a strat to me.

[Gravity Jim]

The solo sounds like McCartney's playing to me. It's his song, and I can easily imagine him batting it out with Ringo while the others stayed home (the background vocals sound like "stacked Paul" to my ear, too). I always figured it was his sunburst, bound Tele... but, of course, that's just a guess.

[Wilko]

Paul's song?

[Gravity Jim]

Well, sure, it's credited to Ringo, but... c'mon. The lyric, maybe.

[ric480]

Doesn't say who, but the link sort of implies George.

http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/...S/AWP/og.shtml

[Gravity Jim]

It could easily be George, but the playing, especially those little staccato bends, sound so much McCartney's lead playing to me. On the other hand, it does really sound like a Strat, and I've never seen a shot of Paul playing one.

[refin]

I say George on his rosewood tele.

[boobtube21]

According to Wikipedia (and I trust that about as far as I can throw the server it's stored on) George helped Ringo write it but gave him full credit, and George and John played the guitars.

[redb]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV9BnBw7LBU

I see a stratocaster in the background. And I see george and ringo composing the song together.

[elicross]

"Let It Be" is such a cool movie...but I remember finding it depressing, I guess because so much of it is a document of the end of the Beatles. I always thought the title of the movie and the album kind of had a double meaning; not just a reference to Paul's great song, but also "let it be" in the sense of "leave it alone" or "let it go." As in, "We had a great run, but now it's time to just let it be."

And yet that video of the writing of "Octopus's Garden" also seems to show how organically they still worked together when they wanted to. The drummer's on piano, working on his new song, the guitarist's helping him out with it, the other guitarist walks in in the middle and starts accompanying them on drums (or bass drum and high-hat, anyhow). It seems like a picture of a group that's worked really well together for years and made a lot of great records as a team...but that moment is kind of rare in the movie as a whole.

It's depressing to think the Beatles didn't stay together longer, make more music as a group...live longer...but if they had -- if they were still getting together every once in a great while to do a limited tour or a new album, like the Who or the Stones -- would they be as revered as they are today?

[refin]

It's depressing to think the Beatles didn't stay together longer, make more music as a group...live longer...but if they had -- if they were still getting together every once in a great while to do a limited tour or a new album, like the Who or the Stones -- would they be as revered as they are today?

Sadly,I think that was in the works.........no tours,just a project now and then.Everyone in the band seemed to express that from time to time,once all the legal dookie was scrpaed off everyone's shoes.I think all they needed was some squat time.
The Anthology series was actually in the planning stages back in the '70s----it was to be called "The Long And Winding Road".The band was even going to perform together at the end,and Lennon was keen on this.

[Gravity Jim]

That clip is awesome! I'd never seen it, and just goes to show me. :)

I guess I always think of that "English music hall" vaudeville kind of sound being Paul's thing. But they all grew up at the same time and place.

But, man... whatever you think of Yoko, what the heck was the matter with John in those days? Who would want ANY woman virtually attached to them 24/7 like that? I mean, having her in your lap while your trying to eat a bowl of cornflakes or something...

[refin]

I think Yoko was fulfilling the role of John's wife and mother that he never really had.............

[NeoFauve]

I guess I always think of that "English music hall" vaudeville kind of sound being Paul's thing. But they all grew up at the same time and place.

I recently watched bits of A Hard Days Night, and at the end of one of their TV performances, they bow, and then John breaks out in a sort of mock soft shoe/tap bit before they dash off stage left.
You see him do that in a lots of footage throughout his life, even walking around NYC stuff compiled for music videos for Double Fantasy. It's almost the same steps and duration every time, right up to 1980.

Paul seemed be the most willing to go ahead and let that influence show up front and center in the final product of a song.

[elicross]

But, man... whatever you think of Yoko, what the heck was the matter with John in those days?

I think he met a woman who looked a lot like him and fell madly in love.

[Mesotech]

After watching the "Let It Be" movie segments on youtube, I'd have to think it's George on his rosewood Tele. I didn't see a single Strat on any of the videos, but John played a Jaguar while George played on the Tele or a Gibson Acoustic (depending on the song). Only in the rooftop segments did John use his Epiphone Casino while George stuck to his Tele.

While on the rooftop, they played Get Back twice. The last time, something went wrong with George's amp. It was mildly amusing to see him go through the process of trying to figure out what was happening. While still playing, he checks to make sure the cord is still plugged in, leans down to see if perhaps it's on but he can't hear for some reason, turns and asks someone behind them if they can hear it (they shake their head no), asks someone sitting behind his amp if it's plugged in still to power (the guy looks and says yes), then George reaches back and notices the standby switch is turned on so he flips it off and he's back in the game. Meanwhile, everyone else keeps going through the song. John looks around perplexed as to if they should keep playing or fix the problem, then follows Pauls lead and keeps going but flubs a few licks in the process. The Bobby's are coming through the door onto the rooftop to shut them down, and The Beatles people slow them down.... I had seen that clip at least 10 times before and never noticed any of those things happening.

[NeoFauve]

but John played a Jaguar

I'm pretty sure that's a Bass VI.

When Paul wasn't on bass, either George or John would play the Bass VI.

[boobtube21]

Thanks for that clip, redb.

What amps are those all over the studio, Twins? Pros?

[refin]

I'm pretty sure that's a Bass VI.

When Paul wasn't on bass, either George or John would play the Bass VI.

Absolutely correct.
George used it in the Hey Jude video.Only thing is,there was no amp head,just a cab!

[Mesotech]

I'm pretty sure that's a Bass VI.

When Paul wasn't on bass, either George or John would play the Bass VI.

Sure looks like a Jaguar to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foR1g...eature=related at around 3:30 and 4:45

He is seen playing this same guitar through out the entire series of clips on Youtube from the Let It Be film, except when they go out on the roof. Then he's playing the Epi.

I'm sure you're right that he did play bass at some point, but it's not as visable as when he's playing the Jag.

[Gravity Jim]

It's a Bass VI, for sure. Talked about extensively in Beatles Gear, here's a nice clean pic:



But to stay on topic, I don't think what you see in Let It Be will reflect much on how anything was done on Abbey Road. That is, the lack of Strats in the movie wouldn't mean that it isn't a Strat on "Octopus's Garden."

[Mesotech]

Wow! That is cool looking. Really looks nothing like a bass though.

[Wilko]

A quick googling found this list of guitars used on the Abbey Road album:

Epiphone Casino Rickenbacker 4001 Gibson Les Paul
Gibson J160E Fender Jazz Bass Fender Telecaster
Martin D28 Epiphone Casino Gibson J200
Fender Bass VI Martin D28 Fender Jazz Bass
Gibson J200

[NeoFauve]

As a side note- "Octopus's Garden" has been stuck in my head, on and off, for two days now.

I used to really dislike this song.
But I really loved the way it was used on the Love soundtrack.
Now I'm okay with it.
But, yeah, it's stuck there, in my head now.

[Wilko]

Here's fun interview with Ringo where he talks about writing that song:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=1134115

Note: sorry, wrong interview. Apparently the audio is not available for the good interview.

[elicross]

That Fender Bass VI looks cool. Is it a full-fledged six-string bass with a vibrato, or is it a baritone guitar?

[NeoFauve]

I've always seen it called a a "six-string bass."
I'm not sure what would techically define six-string bass versus barritone guitar. It's 30" scale though.

Here's one tuned reeeeeaaal looooowwww.

[elicross]

Here's one tuned reeeeeaaal looooowwww.

Whoa. That's kinda awesome.

[Jonnda]

if they were still getting together every once in a great while to do a limited tour or a new album, like the Who or the Stones -- would they be as revered as they are today?

I think they could have still been revered, think about the history of pink floyd and other bands. Floyd did a concert once a decade or so after the band broke up. AC/DC is still goin strong last time I checked, but they never broke up. I hear Led Zepplin put on a good show in 2007. There's many older bands that still rock and live up to their reputation.

[ch willie]

To my ear it's a Tele and it's definitely George playing it. He had the Les Paul and was using it around this time: the lead to "Something" is played on the Les Paul. But the guitar on OG sounds like a Tele to me.