I loved how The Beatles used to change up who played what instruments in the band, this track John Lennon plays bass, and George and Paul both played lead and rhythm guitar and therefore invented the first punk rock riff
"Helter Skelter" was originally just under 27 minutes long and edited down to 4.5 minutes, that's why there's a fade out and then a fade in and Ringo screaming "I've got blisters on my fingers!" at the end.
That was Ringo at the end. The Beatles covered more genres of music than any other group. Pop , folk-rock, rock, reggae, classical, novelty songs, ballads, Indian music, heavy metal, swamp rock, country. All within six years. Phenomenal!
McCartney wrote the song in response to The Who, 'I can see for miles'. Pete Townshend had said something about having made the loudest record and McCartney thought he could do louder. Saturday night at something like Nottingham Goose Fair in Autumn is very loud, neon lights flashing everywhere, loud music from every fairground attraction and all only a few yards apart. Lots of chaotic movement and often some violent crime. We still have something of that tradition now though it is toned down at Blackheath but, in 1950s and 60s things could get pretty wild - a bit like early Mardi gras or Carnival in Trinidad
Born in 63, parents had this album.... for at least the first 10 years of having this album laying around this was the only song i cared to hear, wasnt until around high school i started listenng to the other songs.
I had heard that the Stones were bragging about having written a really ‘dirty’ song and the Beatles, not to be outside, decided to make a super heavy, dirty song with crashing sounds and rough singing. They delivered.
That WAS a tasty twisty lick by George Harrison that you liked. I believe, Paul is on the intro guitar riff/rhythm while George is comping him. And yes, John slamming it on the bass. That blew me away when I found that out. Apparently, they had this cool "alto" guitar, for lack of a better word that was tuned an octave down but could be played more or less like a guitar, as well. They loved it for a rockous bass sound heard throughout The White Album and Let It Be/Get Back sessions. The earliest I think it was used was for 'Baby, You're A Rich Man' the year before. Thank you, Texas Love, from the Bay Area in California, for reacting to such an underrated Beatles' track!
The Beatles do that fade and come back in several songs. Try "I Want You(She's So Heavy)" or "It's All Too Much" for some interesting non-standard Beatles songs😁😋
The first time I heard this song was in 1983 covered by Motley Crue on their Shout at the Devil album. As an 11 year old I had a hard time understanding it was a Beatles song.
I have a GREAT story to tell you about this, I lived in Canada for 21 years and I came to be friends with a drummer in one of the local bands. He also had a small record store (this was back in the late '70s early '80s and he carried a lot of British imports on lots of Beatles singles, records, etc. He too was a Beatles fan like me. I went to see him in his shop and he was telling me about this group of "Metal Heads" that came in a few days before. He told me they looked around and said to him, "Hey WHAT'S with all this BEATLES SHIT you got in here.....hey man, they SUCK!" My friend asked WHY would they SAY that? "they never did ANYTHING that was any GOOD." (my friend gave me this look, like "as if they have ever listened to EVERY Album and single of the Beatles to come up with THAT opinion" lol) So they walked around a bit, and then my friend said to these guys. "Hey, have you ever heard the song "HELTER SKELTER"?" They immediately said, "HELL YEAH! NOW THAT'S a GREAT ONE" (or something to that effect, but they clearly had a good opinion about it). My friend said, "do you know who did that?" "Naww, really don't but we have heard it several times at some parties we have been to." Oh, well, I will tell you who it is then, it's THE BEATLES." My friend said they were STUNNED....."WHAT??!!! Naww that's not THEM, they aren't CAPABLE of doing that." My friend got a copy of the Beatles WHITE ALBUM, pulled out the record, showed them label, and then put it on the record player in his store, and played it. He asked them, Is THIS the song you heard at your parties?" They could NOT believe that IT WAS the BEATLES, and especially that it was PAUL McCARTNEY singing it!! He said, I WISH you had been here to SEE their FACES, it was PRICELESS. My friend said to them, YOU should THANK the BEATLES for this song, because I have magazines here where many of your Heavy Metal Band heroes LIST "THE BEATLES" as one of the groups that THEY ADMIRE and that INSPIRED them to the music they do. You MIGHT not have all the Metal YOU now LOVE, if the Beatles and HELTER SKELTER hadn't INFLUENCED these guys back in 1968. OZZY OZBORNE is a HUGE Beatles fan.... They looked a bit embarrased as they turned to leave. I just thought it was funny. A lot of people have NO idea the variety of music the Beatles wrote and recorded....they have maybe only heard a few songs, and then base their opinons on over 250 songs that they wrote (a lot were given away to other groups to record) on just a HAND FUL of songs that they heard. I LOVED it. Just like don't judge a book by it's cover, or only by a few chapters. Don't criticize unless you have heard everything and THEN make a judgement.
The “solo” sound you’re talking about comes from the Beatles and George Martin’s curiosity and pushing recording technology. During the White Album and songs that were harder edged like Helter Skelter, Hey Bulldog and Revolution, they decided to forgo an amplifier and directly plug their instruments into the mixing boards. They discovered this was oildnpush tue sound they produced far beyond what the boards limiters would allow. They defeated the machines
I believe the roman empire thing was read into it later, I seem to remember they just wanted to write "the dirtiest song they could" and the result was helter skelter. I think it was John Lennon who said that in an interview.
First heavy metal...... Well just before Black Sabbath was unleashed the most unlikely band, Pink Floyd released "The Nile Song" July 1969 So I guess there was stuff all coming together around this time 😉
Love your reactions so so much, you're so genuine about it and it's so great you do a bit of research on the songs before you listen to them, it's just so fun watching you listen to stuff, you seem so thoughtful and into discovering new music:) The official video for Revolution by them is an amazing live version, think it could also very much be your cup of tea!
"Tomorrow Never Knows" - probably the first trance "Helter Skelter" - probably the first heavy metal "I Want You/She's So Heavy" - probably the first doom metal song and probably influenced Black Sabbath
Dude, you got this right, it was a huge step up. Beatles were revolutionary and this one song was a crazy leap of invention preceeding punk and heavy metal by 10 to 15 years. For the beatles it was just a one off throw away experiment song on a double album. When Paul McCartney recorded a couple songs with Nirvana, he tried to do something similar to Helter Skelter.
I was 14 in 1968 and though I'd bought a few 45's prior to this album...the White Album was my first Album purchase....still have it and haven't been the same since!
Great job. There are a lot of timeless classics in the band's career, but just in the vein of what you liked here two songs that I think you'd really like are "Revolution" (and keep in mind, you want the single version just called Revolution, not Revolution 1 or Revolution 9 from the White Album), and "I Want You (She's So Heavy). Looking forward to all that you hit, though.
When I was going to music college one of my guitar teachers used to say that this was one of the first Porto heavy metal songs before heavy-metal had been invented it always got us debating about who invented heavy-metal besides Black Sabbath did the Beatles have a hand to play in the invention of the genre.
the song is not about the roman empire, its about a circus ride, the helter skelter ride in England... a slide that went around in a corkscrew fashion from the top to bottom....when I get to the bottom then I do to the stop of the slide.....
I can't believe a man with that much gray in his beard while grounded did not turn your bedroom speakers towards the wall to the front room and interrupt your step-mothers watching of 1. Charlies Angels 2. Fantasy Island 3. Love Boat. I was in living hell after a while parents would cave and tell me to leave and not to come back after 1am...Lol. Song Rocks.
Stephenwolf I thought had the 'first' heavy metal song with born to be wild, but the Kinks you really got me in 64 or 65 was pretty dam heavy. But Black Sabbath took that sound and defined it I think in the late 60's / early 70's. Good reaction and a belter of a song. The Beatles, I mean, how good.
Yeah, nothing about the decline of the Roman Empire, just the Helter Skelter amusement ride as a metaphor for (probably) teenage sexual frustration with a partner who can't make up their mind. And no, Paul was never only a producer of 'sappy' love songs, he was also the main Little Richard style rock'n'roll screamer of the group. Check out any early 60s live Beatles performance of LR's Long Tall Sally/Have Some Fun Tonight as an example. And his later solo song Silly Love Songs for his personal take on criticism of this subject matter. And, if you don't think John Lennon or George Harrison wrote sappy love songs, try JL's Woman and GH's Something. 😀
Way later here. Georges short solo guitar - Yep, that's him, this band. I don't know of any longish standalone. the most notable being probably with guitarist Alvin Lee, of ten Years after. album 1994 the song ' bluest blues' has George playing slide. with Beatles , his. ' perfect' guitar in 'Something'. the album ' revolver' is the Beatle al. that to me George has the most influence in. a couple good guitar tunes including 'twin leads'. + Sitar. the song / album ' east west' by Butterfield blues might have the most famous pre Hendrix guitar , I think same time as Revolver, '66. Well, rock oriented. Electric Jazz / blues goes back to the 1930's. Django. etc.
That guitar sound can be traced back to Link Wray and his release of the song “Rumble,” in 1958. It was an immediate hit and has been featured in many movies. You’ve probably already heard it without knowing what it was and, where and when it came from.
The complete Beatles EMI 1962-70 by mark Lewisohn described day by recording session Monday 9 September tell all about the recording helter skelter with all funny thinks happening a great book and all time best albums of those giants.
The 'hole' at the end of the song is where the rest of it would have gone had they put it all on the track. The full track was actually over 20 minutes long which was felt to be too much to put on an album at the time. It's in the context of that actual playing length that the 'blisters on my fingers' makes more sense.
the song is about an amusement park ride that's conveniently called "Helter Skelter". That's according to Paul Mccartney. All that other stuff is fan's interpretations LOL
Good call on NOT going for a later watered down live performance by McCartney in the 2000"s+ the essence of this song is primal in its original recording which was highly experimental at the time and "pure noise" the likes of which had never been heard before, and still managed to be a good song, even by today's standard... Def Pre Led Zeppelin... listen to their first album, or Wholotta Love compared to this... Great reaction, especially considering you did your research and put yourself in context! Cheers!
The way I've heard this story is a bit different. McCartney was a very competitive guy. He had heard that The Who's "I Can See For Miles" was the hardest, loudest rock song ever (a laughable statement even by 1967 standards) and by the time he actually heard the song he thought "oh, we can do this, and harder". And the song is about a roller coaster. A note about metal, and I realize I ay be talking to a guy who listens to the genre more than I do. Motorhead can't be classified as pioneers in metal. They made the genre palatable to people like me who considered metal as bonehead music. Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple were playing music that could be called metal at the turn of the 70s. But it was Black Sabbath that gave the genre its proper start.
Heavy Metal did not begin with Motörhead in 1976 - Steppenwolf, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath were all going and recording by 1968-'69 Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild" has the lyric "heavy metal thunder" - Priest & Sabbath were from industrial cities in the British midlands, where a number of the band members work in Iron factory, mining, industrial work, and took Blues to the next heavy level. Led Zeppelin, too -could do ballads, and stomping hard Rock. Paul Mcartney tells he had heard Pete Townshend, of The Who had claimed to write an epic and hard song, often reported to be "I can see for miles" - so Paul challenged back with "Helter Skelter" Yet the Who had a number of hard rockers like "Heaven and Hell", and their version of "Young Man Blues" live, 1970 Isle of Wight Festival just stomps!! The Who shamed The Rolling Stones with intensity in one song, at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, where the Stones did fine, but one of their members was so drugges out to be effective. And, at that, John Lennon appeared in a band with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Hendrix's drummer Smith, to play his hard track "yer Blues, in what was Lennon's first live performance in 3 years. Hendrix!!!! Over in North America you had hard band from Detroit, like the MC5, and The Stooges, kicking ass and not bothering with names,...Motorhead, ACDC,etc.
all sang lead n sang hits, n 3 songwriters, top heavy which lead to ver break up. imagne hearing vis album track 4 v first time in v mid 60s- a sound never heard b4.
Metal goes back to the ‘60s. Black Sabbath came out in ‘68. And there are others. When I was 6, I only loved the Beatles heavier songs, and there wasn’t any 😛 ☮️❤️
Nowhere close. Ringo usually sang one song and George a couple on every album, so John and Paul did more like 75% of the lead singing (exactly how much varied, often it was even less than that). Also George Harrison started contributing songs as a writer on their second album and was an important contributor to the Beatles' catalog from then on. Ringo only wrote a handful of Beatles songs like "Don't Pass Me By" but George's contribution was significant.
@@gregoryeatroff8608 Harrison only wrote a handful of songs. And note that John contributed to some of those, but George kept the entire credit for himself.
@@jnagarya519 doesn't understand how math works. On an album with 14 songs even ONE song from George is way more than 1% (it's more like 7%), and George often contributed more than one song per album. On Let It Be George wrote two of the 15 songs and cowrote a third, for example. He averaged one song per side on every album from Help! onward. Does jnagarya519 think the Beatles had 100 songs on each side of their LPs? Because no one else is stupid enough to think that. Also George pointed out that while John contributed a line here and there to his songs, he also contributed lines to Lennon-McCartney songs without getting formal credit. But admitting that ruins jnagarya519's narrative.
@@gregoryeatroff8608 George covered two songs on "Beatles for Sale" -- he didn't write them. Meanwhile, six of the 7 on side one are written and or performed by John. None of it has to do with math. Your "several" songs on "With The Beatles" is one: "Don't Bother Me". how many songs did he write on "The Beatles" (aka "White" LP) as contrasted with all teh others written by John and Paul. "Let it Be": "For You Blue" is a throw-away. The reality is that George' songwriting didn't begin until later in the career because his songs weren't up to the Lennon-McCartney standard; and even when John helped with the lyrics George didn't share the credit with him. George didn't come into his own as a songwriter until his solo career. And even then he cluttered his stuff with "religion" and his "I'm more holy than you" ego-trip -- even while he was having an affair with Ringo's wife.
@@jnagarya519 I've mathematically demonstrated that you either don't know what you're talking about or are just a iiar. Also I said he averaged two songs per album STARTING with Help! and you cite two albums from before -- you need to do some remedial "Sesame Street" and learn the difference between "before" and "after." Also that album was an anomaly for Harrison's contribution to the Beatles, and because you're so intellectually dishonest you try to pretend the exception was the rule. But since you bring up Beatles for Sale, six of the 14 songs on that album were covers so it's more evidence that you're a Iiar when you claim Lennon and McCartney did 99% of the writing on Beatles albums. Three of their first four albums were almost half covers (6 of 14 on each), and after that Harrison contributed about 15% of the songs. Your 99% claim is pure unadulterated buIIshit. Stop insisting on dying on a hill of Iies.
If you love the music of your time I get it. But if you want to see where it all came from deep dive into the Beatles. I was 13 in 1963. Yes it was crazy. I want you/She 's so heavy on Abby Road was a big influence on Black Sabbath. The end takes you away.
