Sessionography?

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Heston
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Re: Sessionography?

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Inder wrote:
22 Mar 2018, 1:42pm
Kory wrote:
22 Mar 2018, 1:40pm
you come out biased, as MacDonald does for Paul over John.
You think? I thought he was pretty balanced — he absolutely shreds a bunch of Macca songs I like, too. 😩
He disses "The Night Before" which I fucking love.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

Red Angel
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Re: Sessionography?

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When I learned that the solo of "Taxam" is the work of Paul McCartney I was very amazed. An interesting book with a lot of information.
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Re: Sessionography?

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Heston wrote:
22 Mar 2018, 3:06pm
Inder wrote:
22 Mar 2018, 1:42pm
Kory wrote:
22 Mar 2018, 1:40pm
you come out biased, as MacDonald does for Paul over John.
You think? I thought he was pretty balanced — he absolutely shreds a bunch of Macca songs I like, too. 😩
He disses "The Night Before" which I fucking love.
He trashed several songs I like, but then I got to thinking that is why I liked the book so much. There are enough books that praise every track they recorded - but not every track was completely brilliant. Some were just okay. Some sounded great, but lacked substance. Some were just tossed off (and they could toss of songs that many bands couldn't write in a million years).
"They don't think it be like it is, but it do." - Oscar Gamble

Inder
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Re: Sessionography?

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If you guys haven't read the unabridged Tune In, I can't recommend it enough.

At times, it really feels like this band was put together by some higher power. They came so close to falling apart or screwing up their opportunities -- too many times to count. The luck and coincidences that finally get them through EMI's door make what they accomplished seem even more miraculous.

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Re: Sessionography?

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Inder wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 11:22am
If you guys haven't read the unabridged Tune In, I can't recommend it enough.

At times, it really feels like this band was put together by some higher power. They came so close to falling apart or screwing up their opportunities -- too many times to count. The luck and coincidences that finally get them through EMI's door make what they accomplished seem even more miraculous.
What about it makes it superior? I was daunted/repelled by the idea of, like, 900 pages on the band before they even release a song. That level of detail into their early years seemed excessive to me.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Inder
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Re: Sessionography?

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Lots and lots of new information and details. Like, George Martin got saddled with the band as punishment for having an affair with his secretary, not because he had a reputation as a maverick.

The reason they even got into Abbey Road to record in the first place was because a third party publisher wanted to secure the rights to Like Dreamers Do. Having the band record a song was a cheap way to get them to sign over their material -- this is also why they got to do Love Me Do. Not because anyone believed in them, but because no one really cared what they played as long as the publishing stuff got sorted.

Tons of other details as well. The Beatles ancestors stuff might not be for everyone, but I thought it was really interesting. The abridged edition is probably serviceable if you don't want to slog through the genealogies.

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Re: Sessionography?

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Inder wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 12:10pm
Lots and lots of new information and details. Like, George Martin got saddled with the band as punishment for having an affair with his secretary, not because he had a reputation as a maverick.
Ha!
The reason they even got into Abbey Road to record in the first place was because a third party publisher wanted to secure the rights to Like Dreamers Do. Having the band record a song was a cheap way to get them to sign over their material -- this is also why they got to do Love Me Do. Not because anyone believed in them, but because no one really cared what they played as long as the publishing stuff got sorted.
Not especially surprising given how the record biz operated in those days. The history of rock up until the mid-60s has to be approached with the idea that it was a fad and everyone involved did what they could to squeeze every dumb dollar before the well dried up. In that respect, that rock survived and prospered is a bit remarkable given that those in charge never saw an interest in nurturing its health.
Tons of other details as well. The Beatles ancestors stuff might not be for everyone, but I thought it was really interesting. The abridged edition is probably serviceable if you don't want to slog through the genealogies.
Okay, cool. I've got an ePub of it but long been scared off by the size, especially for the time frame.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: Sessionography?

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Dr. Medulla wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 12:24pm
Not especially surprising given how the record biz operated in those days. The history of rock up until the mid-60s has to be approached with the idea that it was a fad and everyone involved did what they could to squeeze every dumb dollar before the well dried up. In that respect, that rock survived and prospered is a bit remarkable given that those in charge never saw an interest in nurturing its health.
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Dr. Medulla
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Re: Sessionography?

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Kory wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 1:50pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 12:24pm
Not especially surprising given how the record biz operated in those days. The history of rock up until the mid-60s has to be approached with the idea that it was a fad and everyone involved did what they could to squeeze every dumb dollar before the well dried up. In that respect, that rock survived and prospered is a bit remarkable given that those in charge never saw an interest in nurturing its health.
ROCK IS FOREVER
I've taken great mischievous pleasure in my rock class the past three years to get a decent number of students to conclude that rock is dead.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: Sessionography?

Post by Kory »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 1:55pm
Kory wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 1:50pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 12:24pm
Not especially surprising given how the record biz operated in those days. The history of rock up until the mid-60s has to be approached with the idea that it was a fad and everyone involved did what they could to squeeze every dumb dollar before the well dried up. In that respect, that rock survived and prospered is a bit remarkable given that those in charge never saw an interest in nurturing its health.
ROCK IS FOREVER
I've taken great mischievous pleasure in my rock class the past three years to get a decent number of students to conclude that rock is dead.
I would think that most kids these days are born knowing that.
"Suck our Earth dick, Martians!" —Doc

Dr. Medulla
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Re: Sessionography?

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Kory wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 2:28pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 1:55pm
Kory wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 1:50pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 12:24pm
Not especially surprising given how the record biz operated in those days. The history of rock up until the mid-60s has to be approached with the idea that it was a fad and everyone involved did what they could to squeeze every dumb dollar before the well dried up. In that respect, that rock survived and prospered is a bit remarkable given that those in charge never saw an interest in nurturing its health.
ROCK IS FOREVER
I've taken great mischievous pleasure in my rock class the past three years to get a decent number of students to conclude that rock is dead.
I would think that most kids these days are born knowing that.
To be fair, a number of them think I'm talking about it in an aesthetic sense, when I mean the idea of rock having artistic and especially political significance. The notion of rock being important is rarely taken seriously anymore outside of academic spheres.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Heston
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Re: Sessionography?

Post by Heston »

Inder wrote:
27 Mar 2018, 11:22am
If you guys haven't read the unabridged Tune In, I can't recommend it enough.

At times, it really feels like this band was put together by some higher power. They came so close to falling apart or screwing up their opportunities -- too many times to count. The luck and coincidences that finally get them through EMI's door make what they accomplished seem even more miraculous.
Interesting. I'm due a Beatles reading and listening binge.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

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Re: Sessionography?

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How much longer is the unabridged version? I felt a sense of achievement after I read the “normal” version, but I did enjoy the read. Yes -it was packed with a lot of info - but it never felt like a “boring” read.
"They don't think it be like it is, but it do." - Oscar Gamble

Red Angel
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Re: Sessionography?

Post by Red Angel »

Why did the sessionography project die? It would have been really interesting. :!:
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Re: Sessionography?

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Red Angel wrote:
28 Nov 2019, 8:36am
Why did the sessionography project die? It would have been really interesting. :!:
Lack of concrete info. I was able to piece together some of the story, but just look at the first album. It's known that it was recorded between February 10 and February 27, 1977 at CBS Studio 3 in London...but what tracks were recorded on what days? How many takes of "Janie Jones" did they put down? Who played on each track?

Trying to decipher Sandinista! is really tough: recorded throughout 1980 in at least 5 studios.

I think one would have to have access to the session logs (if they exist) to put something together. Mark Lewisohn had access to all that info when he compiled his info on the Beatles. I don't know who would have that in regards to the Clash. CBS? Mick?

We could piece something together, but in my opinion anything comprehensive (and accurate) would require access to info like session logs, tape boxes, and so on.
"They don't think it be like it is, but it do." - Oscar Gamble

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