Wednesday 29 June 2011

"You Won't See Me" (Home-Recording)

Every now and again I have to return to The Beatles.
Yes, it is something that started 24 (!) years ago, and which I still haven't got over. I first started to sing to The Beatles (in the attic, where I thought nobody could hear me) and a few years later I first started to play the guitar from the 'Beatles Book'. It was The Beatles that started me off collecting music. And it was The Beatles that made me form my first band. All that is bound to leave an imprint.


This particular song, 'You Won't See Me', is from 1965 and a rare occasion of McCartney in a negative mood. Things were not going to well with Jane ...
When they came to record it, The Beatles gave it a light, countrified arrangement, and added rather silly ooh-lalala backing vocals. The result was a pleasant mid-sixties pop-song, but detracted, obviously, from the song's black mood.

So, when it was my turn to have a go at this one, some time earlier this year, I thought I'd give it an edgier treatment. No more backing vocals, but a garage-band guitar/bass/drums approach, which adorned the song with squashed chords (nothing fancy), a much faster tempo, plenty of distortion on guitar and bass, and some frantic kit-drumming.
It turned out to be rather hard to keep up the vocal. Especially since the key doesn't suit my voice very well. In the end, I went for the low snarl rather than the high shriek ...

6 comments:

  1. Y is a brave one indeed, without a doubt more than I !

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  2. Brave? For recording this song? Or for putting something like this on the internet?? :)

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  3. a combination of both I Feel :)

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  4. I'm impressed by the kit drumming!

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  5. Brave- to have no fear of letting this part of you out to the masses, and to march down Beatle lane.
    Regardless, it is a complete attempt at recreating the song which is no easy feat keeping in mind it was created at home.

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  6. Brave? what are the others on about, it's your version and it should not be compared to any other recording done.

    Excellent work again "brave Y"

    ¦¬))

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