|
|
|
|
by: Andy Roman (revolver@bright.net)
Yes It Is (takes 1-14)
|
|
|
|
The sound of a tone pedal fills Number Two. Work is about to begin on the song destined to be the Beatles next B-Side, Yes It Is.
John Lennon, the song's composer, starts his count-in,
but doesn't get past "One."
A high squeal from George
Harrison's tone pedal temporarily halts the proceedings.
Meanwhile, Paul McCartney discusses with
Ringo how the high-hat ought to be tapped.
John, again, attempts to get things started, but this try,
too, doesn't go: "One. . .One. .um-m-mah-muh. . ."
After a moment, things settle down, and take one finally is underway.
The basic instrumentation has John strumming his acoustic guitar, Paul on bass, Ringo playing lightly on drums, and George handling the tone pedal and guitar. John delivers a guide vocal, almost mumbling at times, but at this point loud enough to hear fairly clearly.
The overall take has the feel of a rehearsal more than anything else, complete with Lennon "na-na-nas" and the occassional send-up voice.
Interesting to note at this point is the difference in the structure of the song's ending. There are multiple repeats of the line "Yes it is, its true" suggesting perhaps that the ending had not quite been worked out completely.
Beatle chatter precedes another Lennon count-in.
This take, too, features a soft Lennon guide vocal.
However, this attempt cuts short after the sound of a "pop."
John: "String broke. . .Did you hear it?"
With tongue firmly in cheek (One can almost picture Lennon walking past a camera, pulling his classic tongue-in-cheek face) John says, "Ret's go now. . ."
After the count-in, the take breaks down almost immediately with an announcement from the voice above, "Start again. . ."
The fourth attempt is, as with the two previous tries, an unsuccessful one.
Lennon's vocals are softer as the take begins, but
alas, another quick breakdown puts a stop to things.
Soon after,
Paul is heard on the session tape consulting
John on what appears to be a timing matter.
John replies, "That's in between the verses, instead of
going straight on to d-da-d-d-da- de-da. . .goes (demonstrating). .
.that's all."
John Lennon counts in, "One. .Two. .Three. .Bread."
The pattern of a quick breakdown continues with Take five.
John: "Oh, sorry. I was wrong."
As John attempts to count-in for the next take, George
Martin puts a pause on things momentarily, presumably to get things
ready up in the big room above.
John queries,
"Yes?"
After a moment, Martin replies,
"Alright, here we go. . ."
Norman Smith
incorrectly announces, "Five."
As John counts in,
Smith interjects a quick correction, "Six!"
Tradition continues. There is an immediate breakdown.
John comments, "That was wrong."
An immediate count-in from the song's author kicks off the seventh go.
John's vocal is much quieter. Things are getting better as the band makes it through the first verse without major incident, but alas, the take does break down, this time during the song's middle-eight. Paul is heard shouting something, though not particularly seriously, presumably because he lost his way during that section of the song.
It seems like old times, as the this take breaks down during the first stanza.
For the first time since Take one, Yes It Is sees its way through to completion.
John's vocals are almost impossible to decipher this time, thus this take can almost be correctly called an instrumental track. Interesting to point out is the ending, which now resembles that used on the commercially released version. Not a particularly bad take, although slightly off in places.
John counts in again, but unlike the previous take, he did not exclude the "four" from his count-in to allow Paul and George to come in on their respective instruments.
The previous take was the first time John had counted in this way. This time he had simply forgotten, "Sorry. . . sorry. . ."
They attempt to restart the song, this time the take being "Eleven," but it quickly breaks down.
Again, attempts at the basic track.
It is this version that is used for the overdubbing of the exquisite three part harmony sung by John, Paul and George.
October 18, 1964
April 13, 1965 
Behind The Scenes.
