Why was Sgt. Peppers such a huge album?

[ernstinen]

Beatle fans know that Paul McCartney popularized the Hofner bass, but things began to change in 1966.There had for some time been puzzlement at Abbey Road as to why records cut in America sounded so much better than British cuts. The bass content in particular was greatly diminished on British records. Jerry Boys has a clear recollection of John Lennon demanding to know why the bass on a certain Wilson Pickett record far exceeded any Beatles disc. But on "Paperback Writer" all that changed."'Paperback Writer' was the first time the bass sound had been heard in all its excitement," say Geoff Emerick. "For a start, Paul played a different bass, a Rickenbacker. Then we boosted it further by using a loudspeaker as a microphone. We positioned it directly in front of the bass speaker and the moving diaphragm of the second speaker made the electric current." This was another invention of Ken Townsend's -- but he paid the price, being called in to the office of Bill Livy, chief technical engineer, and reprimanded for matching impedances incorrectly!Ringeaux Pepper

[ernstinen]

Quote:Beatles jugglerhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4776181634656145640This guy doesn't miss a beatWow! Awesome!Ern

[nomiyah]

Quote:Beatles jugglerhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4776181634656145640This guy doesn't miss a beatWow Zink, that's craaaazy. I like that.

[ernstinen]

Must --- keep --- Sgt. --- Pepper --- thread --- alive ---*************************************************Starting with Sgt. Pepper, Paul's bass was recorded by direct injection of the sound into the recording console, as opposed to being recorded through an amplifier and a microphone. "I think direct injection was probably used on Beatles sessions for the first time anywhere in the world," says Ken Townsend. "We built our own transformer boxes [called DIT boxes] and plugged the guitars straight into the equipment."Direct injection, or DI for short, greatly attracted John Lennon, forever keen on short cuts, especially if there was a chance that his vocals might somehow be changed in the process. Stories are legion at Abbey Road of John doing anything to change his voice --- a most curious fixation considering that his singing was the envy of all others and is quite properly regarded as being among the best in all rock music. "John came up to the control room one day and asked if we could possibly inject his voice directly into the console," says Geoff Emerick. "George [Martin] replied 'Yes, if you go and have an operation. It means sticking a jackplug into your neck!'" Ringeaux

[ernstinen]

Sgt. Pepper --- Cluck! --- Sgt. Pepper --- Cluck! Another brilliant idea based on a complete coincidence: merging the final cluck of the hen at the end of 'Good Morning Good Morning', one of the many animal sound effects, into the similar first guitar note of 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)'."That was one of the cleverest bits of matching a sound effect with an instrument ever done," says Geoff Emerick, proudly, although George Martin is rather more poetic about the edit, claiming that "SGT. PEPPER HIMSELF WAS BREATHING LIFE INTO THE PROJECT BY THIS TIME," intimating that the edit was discovered by chance alone. Ern

[booker]

But... still... there weren't any REAL hits on the album...man! Abbey Road was much better.

[ernstinen]

I'm so lonely! Please don't abandon me and have OnOffOn be the supreme being around here!Thanx,Sgt. Pepper

[Casey H]

http://today.reuters.com/News/newsChann ... tNewsMaybe she won't be there when he's 64 after all... Actually, after seeing them on Larry King, I am not suprised. Hey ladies.... Paul is single again! Casey

[ernstinen]

That's too bad. And Paulie refused to have her sign a pre-nup. He still insists she didn't marry him for his money. I hear she's real bossy and Paul is pretty laid back --- maybe their age difference? Oh well, maybe my nutty sister will stalk him like she did Darryl Hall (long story). Ern

[ernstinen]

SGT. --- PEPPER --- MUST --- NOT --- DIE ---Some things have always been this way --- Some things will never change! You always want to be loudest ---Says Paul:With two guitarists, with John and George, it was always John saying "put that up a bit" and then George would come in and he'd put his up a bit, then George Martin would be saying "Can you turn the amps down, please?" and John would look at George and say "How much are you going down? Let's go down to five, alright?" John'd go down to six. "OK, I'm at five!" "You bugger, you're not! You're at six!" There was always this terrible rivalry! You just wanted to be louder. But it's nice to listen to the Beatle records now. There's more guitar than you'll ever hear on a record these days. When you mix now you always mix guitars out, and mix pianos out, it's as if they're only secondary instruments. (Paul must not listen to Morbid Angel ).Ern