We’re heading into the final turn! I hope you who have been able to follow along with this reconsideration of Magical Mystery Tour – with the aid of the 1971 German true stereo mixes. If you’ve missed a day, search back. We’ll keep these tracks up for a limited time.
The Beatles, “Baby You’re a Rich Man” (German true stereo mix)
What I’m about to say may shock you: I’ve long loved this song. There are so many slight songs from The Beatles’ psychedelic phase that work primarily as showcases for McCartney’s heavy Rickenbacker bass parts. Paul’s reputation is typically as The Showman, The Cute One, The Writer of Granny Numbers, and even The Multitalented One, but he’ll never get all the credit he deserves as an Emotionally Engaging Bass Player. I’m not kidding: his basslines are the emotional center of so many songs, especially these half-baked psych-platitude pieces.
In this version of “Baby You’re a Rich Man” you get to hear even more of the bass – the lows and the attack of the picked strings. It’s one of Paul’s trademark songs. The song also features those little runs on an organ or some other kind of reedy instrument. What’s making those “raga” noises? I’ve always dug them, and I dig them even more on this version.
Finally, let’s not forget John Lennon‘s contributions to his own song. It might seem I’ve dismissed the song itself, but John’s commitment to the lead vocals and his enlightened point of view is worth tuning into. Lennon was in the middle of a long stretch of tuning in and out of Beatles activities, but when he tuned in, he could pull off almost any type of half-assed song with the best of them. This is no exception.
I didn’t want to let this one go without any comments. I’m onboard with this as an under-loved favorite, thanks mostly to Paul’s bass, the choked out guitar, and the way John emphasizes different words on all the repeated lyrics to mix it up each time through.
Regarding the mix, Germans, it would seem, continue to love Paul’s bass, and of all things, the handclaps in the first half seem to come out a bit more. The other instrument is John playing a clavioline, apparently in a “double reed setting.”
I think this is the least talked about of those songs that were frankensteined from unfinished John and Paul ideas, in the Day in the Life/I’ve Got a Feeling style.
The clavioline and a combo of the intro and fadeout make it sound like some kind of carnival or caravan passing through, so in some ways, this is the song that sounds most to me like the concept that Pepper was supposed to have as an album, even though it really was recorded after Pepper. It’s kind of a mess, so I can see why people might not like it, but I enjoy the intentionally weird atmosphere and it probably could have worked as the album closer if it had to.
Yeah I like this song too, though nowadays I could do with much less clavioline. It must be sped up, no? I don’t think Lennon had the keyboard chops to play that fast.
Also I love the chugging sound that carries the rhythm at the beginning. Is it just choked guitar strings? It almost sounds like scratching. Sometimes some totally sick rhythm guitar comes up from underneath, and it must be the same instrument.
I also like the way, when they sing “tuned to a natural E” they falsetto up to an actual E note.
I hear you, alexmagic! Glad to finally learn what that instrument is. I say, more clavioline!
Mod: enjoy.
http://ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/tech.php?taid=&id=2345946&lid=1