Guitar solo on Hey Bulldog - who played it?

[Jim Roger Olsen]

I think this is a really great song, probably one of the most underrated
of all Beatles recordings among the general public.

Who are playing the soaring guitar solo?

It is not mentioned in any of the Levisohn books.
I have visited several web sites where the solo is attributed to both
George and John.

I have seen people write that the solo reminds of Paul - that it is his
style - I agree.

So to me, it remains a real mystery - who played it?

Has anyone got the answer to this question, based on reliable sources?

[MikeLawyr2]

Man oh man, I have wondered about this too.

Looking at who was in the studio that day, one would have to say
George, but doesn't it sound like Paul to you????

[MikeLawyr2]

And along these lines, my number one "doubt" is that Every Little Thing
was a Paul song. I just don't hear Paul except in the refrains, and
the song has such a strong John style. Paul, however, swears he wrote
it and remembers where and when. I happen to think he's confusing
Every Little Thing with another song. The fog of the sixties. What I
would give to hear the outtakes!

[i***@yahoo.com]

Post by MikeLawyr2
And along these lines, my number one "doubt" is that Every Little Thing
was a Paul song. I just don't hear Paul except in the refrains, and
it and remembers where and when. I happen to think he's confusing
Every Little Thing with another song. The fog of the sixties. What I
would give to hear the outtakes!
From Wikipedia

"Although credited as usual to Lennon-McCartney, Ian MacDonald explains
in Revolution in the Head that Paul McCartney probably wrote this song,
even though John Lennon is the lead singer, and Paul sings harmony
(although one can hear Paul better in the refrain). Lennon said himself
in an interview with Playboy that McCartney wrote it. It was recorded
in nine takes on September 29-30, 1964."

[MikeLawyr2]

I know, I know. There's not one shred of evidence that John wrote it.
The only way I could be correct would be if Paul misremembered it and
John perpetuated the error, or vice versa. The outtakes would settle
the question, I'm sure.

[Danny Caccavo]

OK -

Who played the lead guitar on "It's All Too Much?"

Discuss amongst yourselves...

dc

[t***@aerovons.com]

Post by Danny Caccavo
OK -
Who played the lead guitar on "It's All Too Much?"
Discuss amongst yourselves...
dc

Hendrix played the intro.

TH ;)

(Hi Danny)

[abe slaney]

Post by Danny Caccavo
OK -
Who played the lead guitar on "It's All Too Much?"
Discuss amongst yourselves...
dc

That's easy! Steve Hillage.

[donz5]

Post by MikeLawyr2
And along these lines, my number one "doubt" is that Every Little Thing
was a Paul song. I just don't hear Paul except in the refrains, and
it and remembers where and when. I happen to think he's confusing
Every Little Thing with another song. The fog of the sixties. What I
would give to hear the outtakes!

We've discussed this song a few times in here -- Paul and John are
singing together, in unison, during the verses; they then split into
harmony during the refrains.

Interview, August 18, 1965, Atlanta (from the LP "Talk with Jerry G,
II"):

Q: John, on the last tour ... you wrote a song. Which one was it?

John: I can't remember. Paul, what song did we write on the last tour?
I know we wrote a couple, actually, 'cause for 5 weeks we were...

Paul: Yeah: "Every Little Thing" and "What You're Doing."

John: Oh yeah.

Q: Anthing done this time?

John: No, cause it's been so short. It was because, ah, when we got
back from the 5 weeks away we were due to record an LP, so we had to
write.

* * *

Fifteen years later, John gave the bulk of the the song composition
credit to Paul. From the Playboy interview:

John: "Every Little Thing" is his [Paul's] song; maybe I threw
something in.

* * *

Add your own reference to Paul's memory (from _Many Years From Now_),
and we have pretty consistent evidence from the songwriting team that
it's primarily Paul's song.

[pepperman]

Post by donz5

Post by MikeLawyr2
And along these lines, my number one "doubt" is that Every Little Thing
was a Paul song. I just don't hear Paul except in the refrains, and
it and remembers where and when. I happen to think he's confusing
Every Little Thing with another song. The fog of the sixties. What I
would give to hear the outtakes!

We've discussed this song a few times in here -- Paul and John are
singing together, in unison, during the verses; they then split into
harmony during the refrains.
Interview, August 18, 1965, Atlanta (from the LP "Talk with Jerry G,
Q: John, on the last tour ... you wrote a song. Which one was it?
John: I can't remember. Paul, what song did we write on the last tour?
I know we wrote a couple, actually, 'cause for 5 weeks we were...
Paul: Yeah: "Every Little Thing" and "What You're Doing."
John: Oh yeah.
Q: Anthing done this time?
John: No, cause it's been so short. It was because, ah, when we got
back from the 5 weeks away we were due to record an LP, so we had to
write.
* * *
Fifteen years later, John gave the bulk of the the song composition
John: "Every Little Thing" is his [Paul's] song; maybe I threw
something in.
* * *
Add your own reference to Paul's memory (from _Many Years From Now_),
and we have pretty consistent evidence from the songwriting team that
it's primarily Paul's song.

In Hit Parader interview 1971 Every Little Thing was one of the songs
John attributed jointly to Paul and himself.

[Dave Stewart]

'The fog of the sixties?' I'd bet Paul McCartney did write it, for one
good reason.

It sounds exactly like a McCartney song, nothing like a Lennon
composition.

Post by MikeLawyr2
And along these lines, my number one "doubt" is that Every Little Thing
was a Paul song. I just don't hear Paul except in the refrains, and
it and remembers where and when. I happen to think he's confusing
Every Little Thing with another song. The fog of the sixties. What I
would give to hear the outtakes!

[pepperman]

Post by Dave Stewart
'The fog of the sixties?' I'd bet Paul McCartney did write it, for one
good reason.
It sounds exactly like a McCartney song, nothing like a Lennon
composition.

Post by MikeLawyr2
And along these lines, my number one "doubt" is that Every Little Thing
was a Paul song. I just don't hear Paul except in the refrains, and
it and remembers where and when. I happen to think he's confusing
Every Little Thing with another song. The fog of the sixties. What I
would give to hear the outtakes!

I've seen many people hear Lennon fingerprints in that song. Alan W
Pollack, Ian McDonald and quite a few people here in RMB including me.

[f***@yahoo.com]

Post by pepperman

Post by Dave Stewart
'The fog of the sixties?' I'd bet Paul McCartney did write it, for one
good reason.
It sounds exactly like a McCartney song, nothing like a Lennon
composition.

Post by MikeLawyr2
And along these lines, my number one "doubt" is that Every Little Thing
was a Paul song. I just don't hear Paul except in the refrains, and
it and remembers where and when. I happen to think he's confusing
Every Little Thing with another song. The fog of the sixties. What I
would give to hear the outtakes!

I've seen many people hear Lennon fingerprints in that song. Alan W
Pollack, Ian McDonald and quite a few people here in RMB including me.

Paul claims in his book that he wrote Every Little Thing.

[JVE]

I think this is a really great song, probably one of the most underrated of
all Beatles recordings among the general public.

I couldn't agree more! This song 'feels' like a really classic rock song!
One of those songs everyone knows. The riff is just absolutely awesome. The
'You can talk to me'-part is awesome too (really dig John's voice there!):
the way it ends 'into' the first note of the riff is also great. There is a
tension buildup I love to death. Everytime I hear it I wait for that riff to
start and bang my head all over the place. ;)
But unfortunately a lot of people never heard it. It's very underrated
indeed. It's one of the best rocksongs of the sixties imho. Maybe it's
because it was used in a cartoonfilm and the YS-album isn't that great...?
Or because it wasn't on the (dreaded) blue album? (I say 'dreaded' because a
lot of poeple think the red and blue album contain their best stuff....) I
don't know. But it's a big shame.

[waltbrad]

Post by JVE

I think this is a really great song, probably one of the most underrated of
all Beatles recordings among the general public.

I couldn't agree more! This song 'feels' like a really classic rock song!
One of those songs everyone knows. The riff is just absolutely awesome. The
the way it ends 'into' the first note of the riff is also great. There is a
tension buildup I love to death. Everytime I hear it I wait for that riff to
start and bang my head all over the place. ;)
But unfortunately a lot of people never heard it. It's very underrated
indeed. It's one of the best rocksongs of the sixties imho. Maybe it's
because it was used in a cartoonfilm and the YS-album isn't that great...?
Or because it wasn't on the (dreaded) blue album? (I say 'dreaded' because a
lot of poeple think the red and blue album contain their best stuff....) I
don't know. But it's a big shame.

I have to chip in on this. It amazes me that when people hear this
song they don't know it's the Beatles. Back about six years or seven
years ago I first got into digital video by downloading music videos on
the IRC and burning them to VCD. I'd circulate these at work among
the people who cared and quite a few people were pretty surprised by
the Beatles doing that song. Some never heard it before, others didn't
know it was the Beatles.

It is that lead guitar break that makes me want to pick up guitar
again.

[u***@mscomm.com]

I think the two most underrated Beatles songs are Hey Bulldog and It's
All Too Much, both on Yellow Submarine. Emerick says that John wanted
Hey Bulldog to be a single, but the others overruled him and Emerick
judged it "not sufficiently commercial." Hey Bulldog is WAY better than
Lady Madonna, which they issued at that time.

I always thought it was Paul on lead guitar on Hey Bulldog, though I've
never seen any confirmation. It's too accomplished and fluid to be
George, in my view.

[JVE]

Post by u***@mscomm.com
Emerick says that John wanted
Hey Bulldog to be a single, but the others overruled him and Emerick
judged it "not sufficiently commercial."

Incredible... It would have been a smash hit (of course). Pity. Well, it
shows pretty clearly how much GOOD material the Beatles had! ;) Every other
band in the world would have released this song as a single! ;)

[A Canker Sore]

Hey Bulldog, though I've never seen any
confirmation. It's too accomplished and fluid
to be George, in my view.

It's an easy solo to play, and it's George. George wrote lead parts the
fit songs perfectly, and that solo does.

[IBen Getiner]

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
I think this is a really great song, probably one of the most underrated
of all Beatles recordings among the general public.
Who are playing the soaring guitar solo?
It is not mentioned in any of the Levisohn books.
I have visited several web sites where the solo is attributed to both
George and John.
I have seen people write that the solo reminds of Paul - that it is his
style - I agree.
So to me, it remains a real mystery - who played it?
Has anyone got the answer to this question, based on reliable sources?

It's a monster, Jimmy... Whoever it was reached as far as was humanly
possible into that instrument. It sounds almost super human.
Paul would be my guess. Him or Jimi Hendrix... Or God..

IBen

[iarwain]

I agree Hey Bulldog is awesome, but I always thought that the little
goofy part at the end kept it from being perceived at the "top level"
of Beatle songs.

[IBen Getiner]

Post by iarwain
I agree Hey Bulldog is awesome, but I always thought that the little
goofy part at the end kept it from being perceived at the "top level"
of Beatle songs.

Ever get stoned...?



IBen

[poisoned rose]

Post by iarwain
I agree Hey Bulldog is awesome, but I always thought that the little
goofy part at the end kept it from being perceived at the "top level"
of Beatle songs.

1. released on a peripheral "Beatles" album
2. lack of a resonant lyric
3. silly title

[Martin Hofner]

Paul wrote Every Little Thing and What You're Doing" for Jane at around
the same time.

Paul played lead on Hey Bulldog.

[t***@hotmail.com]

Post by poisoned rose

Post by iarwain
I agree Hey Bulldog is awesome, but I always thought that the little
goofy part at the end kept it from being perceived at the "top level"
of Beatle songs.

1. released on a peripheral "Beatles" album
2. lack of a resonant lyric
3. silly title

4. a novelty song for a cartoon

5. frivolous

6. unimaginative

voice from the past

[t***@aerovons.com]

Post by poisoned rose

Post by iarwain
I agree Hey Bulldog is awesome, but I always thought that the little
goofy part at the end kept it from being perceived at the "top level"
of Beatle songs.

1. released on a peripheral "Beatles" album

Where it really didn't fit at all.

Post by poisoned rose
2. lack of a resonant lyric

Hey...."You can talk to me" has resonated plenty with most of us;)
The rest is typical Lennon word play.

Post by poisoned rose
3. silly title

Why? I think it's implied ferocity works perfect with the riff, which
is a delightfully brutal little beast.

IMHO, most of what made "Hey Bulldog" hover just below the radar is
simply because it's very dark, there is very little lift in the song
from it's minor key home base, and darkness is not a typical Beatles
quality people expect to hear. I personally love it, but Emerick was
right..."Lady Madonna" was the correct commercial choice, much more
appealing to a broader spectrum.

"Bulldog" really makes no pretense about being anything other than
what it is...a grab you by the throat riff based journey into the dark
side of "Jabberwocky."

TH

[k***@rogers.com]

Hi Tom

I find this an interesting thread in that I guess it had never occured
to me that the lead guitar solo in 'Hey Bulldog' was anybody other
than John. The solo just seems to have the trademark Lenon fluidity
style similar to his playing on ' Get Back' and ' You Can't Do That'
(his first ever Abbey Road guitar solo that he said Macca allowed him
to record). A Paul guitar solo would have been more melodious and
polished and George would have been more technical, stilted and less
spontaneous. I've listened to Beatle records since
1964 as a four year old and I can't really give a better answer than,
it just feels like John playing. I can't visualize
any of the other three Moptops playing in just that way. A revealing
comment that John made in his 1980 Playboy
interview was that his guitar style was recogizable in that he more or
less always stayed in one place on the fretboard.
As an example he mentioned the song "The End' where of the 9 guitar
solos, he was always recogizable playing
every third solo. On the other hand, in ' Hey Bulldog' , the guitar
solo does move up the fretboard in one instance
during the high riff. Even so, I still think it was a Lennonesque solo.
That's only my opinion and it doesn't
have a strong foundation behind it. Can anyone think of a Harrison solo
that sounds similar to the Hey Bulldog guitar solo?
I really can't.

Finally, there has been much conjecture as to the meaning or reason
for the composition of this song. I think it is as simple as there
was at one time in 1968 an idea to have one half side of the White
Album to be nothing but animal songs (i.e. Blackbird, Martha My Dear ,
Piggies) however this idea was discarded. Thus the simple premise might
have been the impetus that ' inspired' John
to write " Hey Bulldog' . Certainly John never wrote anything like it
before or since.
Apparently he said he was embarrased at the "Hey Bulldog' recording
sessions
with Yoko in the room because he was afraid it wasn't ' high art' .
Don' t get
me started with that. Inevitably I still think this is very underated
record. It's
not the quintessential recording of the 20th century but it is The
Beatles. And
it just happened to be a very rewarding studio session that day.


Kent

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by poisoned rose

Post by iarwain
I agree Hey Bulldog is awesome, but I always thought that the little
goofy part at the end kept it from being perceived at the "top level"
of Beatle songs.

1. released on a peripheral "Beatles" album

Where it really didn't fit at all.

Post by poisoned rose
2. lack of a resonant lyric

Hey...."You can talk to me" has resonated plenty with most of us;)
The rest is typical Lennon word play.

Post by poisoned rose
3. silly title

Why? I think it's implied ferocity works perfect with the riff, which
is a delightfully brutal little beast.
IMHO, most of what made "Hey Bulldog" hover just below the radar is
simply because it's very dark, there is very little lift in the song
from it's minor key home base, and darkness is not a typical Beatles
quality people expect to hear. I personally love it, but Emerick was
right..."Lady Madonna" was the correct commercial choice, much more
appealing to a broader spectrum.
"Bulldog" really makes no pretense about being anything other than
what it is...a grab you by the throat riff based journey into the dark
side of "Jabberwocky."
TH

[Marston Moor]

Dowlding's BEATLESONGS sez it was originally intended to be called "Hey
Bullfrog"!

R
www.rsteviemoore.com

[andy749]

I've always thought the solo was by George. This is the first time I've
heard Paul's name mentioned in relation to that solo. I don't think
it's that great a solo really. Not bad, but not great. Same with the
song...pretty cool, but not worthy of a-side 45 release...not a top
notch Beatle song. Would've made a good b-side for "Lady Madonna"
maybe.

FWIW...years ago in some guitar mag, some well known player picked that
solo as one of his favorites and he thought it was George. May have
been Elliot Easton.

[Danny Caccavo]

Post by andy749
I've always thought the solo was by George. This is the first time I've
heard Paul's name mentioned in relation to that solo. I don't think
it's that great a solo really. Not bad, but not great. Same with the
song...pretty cool, but not worthy of a-side 45 release...not a top
notch Beatle song. Would've made a good b-side for "Lady Madonna"
maybe.
FWIW...years ago in some guitar mag, some well known player picked that
solo as one of his favorites and he thought it was George. May have
been Elliot Easton.

Yeah, but before George spilled the beans, everyone thought "Taxman" was
George...<g>

dc

[Scribbler]

Post by k***@rogers.com
Finally, there has been much conjecture as to the meaning or reason
for the composition of this song. I think it is as simple as there
was at one time in 1968 an idea to have one half side of the White
Album to be nothing but animal songs (i.e. Blackbird, Martha My Dear ,
Piggies) however this idea was discarded. Thus the simple premise might
have been the impetus that ' inspired' John
to write " Hey Bulldog' . Certainly John never wrote anything like it
before or since.

One of the rejected covers for what became the White Album was an
illustration of the Beatles with all sorts of animals, so there could be
something to this.

Someone (here, I think) once speculated that the Hey Bulldog lyrics are
John's sly message to his father, Freddie, who had showed up again in
his life.

"You think you know me, but you haven't got a clue!"

[dlarsson]

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
Who are playing the soaring guitar solo?
It is not mentioned in any of the Levisohn books.
I have visited several web sites where the solo is attributed to both
George and John.
I have seen people write that the solo reminds of Paul - that it is his
style - I agree.
So to me, it remains a real mystery - who played it?
Has anyone got the answer to this question, based on reliable sources?

Virtually all sources attribute it to George Harrison.
("BeatleSongs", Lewisohn, etc.)

I have seen one source that attributes it to John Lennon
(Tell Me Why?) and given the "hyper-active" right-hand work
(similar to "Revolution") it fits Lennon's aggressive style.

It was also John song.

It could not have been McCartney.
McCartney played the bass and the piano.
So for McCartney to have also then done the guitar playing
too would then have made the song an "all-McCartney instrumental"
aside from the drums.

This is virtually impossible given the circumstances.
This song was written by John Lennon, so he would have
had some instrumental role on the song itself (the guitar riffs
at minimum). Harrison most likely did the solo,
but remember Lennon's own guitar playing ("Revolution",
"I Want You/She's So Heavy", "Dear Prudence", etc.)
had gotten pretty good by then.

[i***@yahoo.com]

Post by dlarsson
Virtually all sources attribute it to George Harrison.
("BeatleSongs", Lewisohn, etc.)
I have seen one source that attributes it to John Lennon
(Tell Me Why?) and given the "hyper-active" right-hand work
(similar to "Revolution") it fits Lennon's aggressive style.
It was also John song.
It could not have been McCartney.
McCartney played the bass and the piano.
So for McCartney to have also then done the guitar playing
too would then have made the song an "all-McCartney instrumental"
aside from the drums.
This is virtually impossible given the circumstances.
This song was written by John Lennon, so he would have
had some instrumental role on the song itself (the guitar riffs
at minimum). Harrison most likely did the solo,

I thought Lennon played the piano and I think the lead is George. I
think Lennon could have played a similar lead but it would have been a
little sloppier or looser if you know what I mean.

[Ron Fowler]

I always have assumed it was Harrison. Surprises me when I read comments
like "sounds too technically proficient to be Harrison, so it must be
Macca". I find it baffling that some people consider Macca a better
guitar player than Harrison. That's no knock on Paul who has some
memorable work (the solo on "Maybe I'm Amazed" comes to mind), but
George was THE MAN. I'm not sure that Paul could've ever played anything
as beautiful as George's solo on "Something", and "Here Comes the Sun"
is just as good an acoustic guitar piece as Paul's "Blackbird". George
just got better and better as the years rolled by. Some of his best
playing is on "Brainwashed". Really love "My Sweet Lord 2000", too,
where he lets his guitar do the talking during the long mantra-like
ending.

[JVE]

Darn, was it George or Paul or John...? Who knows, maybe it was Ringo?!?

;)

[BlackMonk]

Post by i***@yahoo.com

Post by dlarsson
It could not have been McCartney.
McCartney played the bass and the piano.
So for McCartney to have also then done the guitar playing
too would then have made the song an "all-McCartney instrumental"
aside from the drums.
This is virtually impossible given the circumstances.
This song was written by John Lennon, so he would have
had some instrumental role on the song itself (the guitar riffs
at minimum). Harrison most likely did the solo,

I thought Lennon played the piano and I think the lead is George. I
think Lennon could have played a similar lead but it would have been a
little sloppier or looser if you know what I mean.

Everett credits Lennon with the piano and guitar solo, though he says that
Harrison added a lead guitar overdub. I suspect that both of them
contributed to the solo.

[Chris Jepson]

Post by BlackMonk
Everett credits Lennon with the piano and guitar solo, though he says that
Harrison added a lead guitar overdub. I suspect that both of them
contributed to the solo.

That is an appealing theory. I think the first part of the solo sounds
very John-ish, and the second very George-ish.

Chris Jepson

[t***@rockisland.com]

I'm sure you've all seen this a bazillion times, but man is it a cool
video.....

Looks like film of the actual sessions to me....

[MikeLawyr2]

I am surprised by John's guitar ability at times. All My Loving is
amazingly exact. I would have considered Norwegian Wood and Dear
Prudence to be beyond him, but we have the bootleg evidence to the
contrary. I would have considered Working Class Hero to be the limit
of his skills.

On Hey Bulldog, it just SOUNDS like Paul. Some of us can't get around
that. Perhaps George was edited out and Paul overdubbed later? Could
this have happened without evidence?

I agree with those who say that George is every bit as good (and
smoother in texture and style), although he certainly was a slow
learner.

[JVE]

Post by MikeLawyr2
I am surprised by John's guitar ability at times.

I was surprised when I saw a few live performances of I Feel Fine for the
first time. The ease with which John played the opening riff amazed me! I
never uderstood that really riff (being a guitarplayer) and always thought
that surely George played that. But no, John did, and he does it co
'carelessly' and yet perfect...! didn't expect that!

[t***@aerovons.com]

Post by JVE

Post by MikeLawyr2
I am surprised by John's guitar ability at times.

I was surprised when I saw a few live performances of I Feel Fine for the
first time. The ease with which John played the opening riff amazed me! I
never uderstood that really riff (being a guitarplayer) and always thought
that surely George played that. But no, John did, and he does it co
'carelessly' and yet perfect...! didn't expect that!

It's not difficult, and John played it live on his 3/4 size
Rickenbacker, though on the record it's played on his
acoustic/electric, which also has a very small neck.

George also plays the riff in the song, though not in the first four
bars (joins John on "G" before the vocal entrance).

TH

[BlackMonk]

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by JVE

Post by MikeLawyr2
I am surprised by John's guitar ability at times.

I was surprised when I saw a few live performances of I Feel Fine for the
first time. The ease with which John played the opening riff amazed me! I
never uderstood that really riff (being a guitarplayer) and always thought
that surely George played that. But no, John did, and he does it co
'carelessly' and yet perfect...! didn't expect that!

It's not difficult, and John played it live on his 3/4 size
Rickenbacker, though on the record it's played on his
acoustic/electric, which also has a very small neck.

It's not easy, either. Especially at that tempo, while singing, and compared
to what else was around at the time. I think they slowed it down a bit on
the Anthology live version, though.

[t***@aerovons.com]

Post by BlackMonk

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by JVE

Post by MikeLawyr2
I am surprised by John's guitar ability at times.

I was surprised when I saw a few live performances of I Feel Fine for the
first time. The ease with which John played the opening riff amazed me! I
never uderstood that really riff (being a guitarplayer) and always thought
that surely George played that. But no, John did, and he does it co
'carelessly' and yet perfect...! didn't expect that!

It's not difficult, and John played it live on his 3/4 size
Rickenbacker, though on the record it's played on his
acoustic/electric, which also has a very small neck.

It's not easy, either. Especially at that tempo, while singing, and compared
to what else was around at the time. I think they slowed it down a bit on
the Anthology live version, though.

It was a wonderful and innovative record. The key to whether it's easy
or hard for someone to play is how well they can stretch their 4th
finger...some people find it insane, others have no problem. It was
never hard for me but I think that's because I was used to stretching
on piano...

Most of the time George plays the riff while Lennon is singing the lead
sections, John is mainly playing 7th barre chords...

TH

[D. Rusnak]

I think you lads are incorrect on this one. Live, Lennon played the "I
Feel Fine" riff using the barre "E" chord formation adding the necessary
notes with the little finger, but, Harrison played the riff by picking
the notes out sliding around a few frets much like bass player or
country picker would and NOT in the "E" barre chord formation.
Also, Lennon only plays the riff only when he's not singing.

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by BlackMonk

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by JVE

Post by MikeLawyr2
I am surprised by John's guitar ability at times.

I was surprised when I saw a few live performances of I Feel Fine for the
first time. The ease with which John played the opening riff amazed me! I
never uderstood that really riff (being a guitarplayer) and always thought
that surely George played that. But no, John did, and he does it co
'carelessly' and yet perfect...! didn't expect that!

It's not difficult, and John played it live on his 3/4 size
Rickenbacker, though on the record it's played on his
acoustic/electric, which also has a very small neck.

It's not easy, either. Especially at that tempo, while singing, and compared
to what else was around at the time. I think they slowed it down a bit on
the Anthology live version, though.

It was a wonderful and innovative record. The key to whether it's easy
or hard for someone to play is how well they can stretch their 4th
finger...some people find it insane, others have no problem. It was
never hard for me but I think that's because I was used to stretching
on piano...
Most of the time George plays the riff while Lennon is singing the lead
sections, John is mainly playing 7th barre chords...
TH

[t***@aerovons.com]

Post by D. Rusnak
I think you lads are incorrect on this one. Live, Lennon played the "I
Feel Fine" riff using the barre "E" chord formation adding the necessary
notes with the little finger, but, Harrison played the riff by picking
the notes out sliding around a few frets much like bass player or
country picker would and NOT in the "E" barre chord formation.
Also, Lennon only plays the riff only when he's not singing.

I'm trying, and failing, to imagine just where you got this idea;)

George plays the riff the same way John does.

There is no reason on earth why one would make the riff harder to play
by not using the barre position. See Ed Sullivan, 1965, George and John
playing "I Feel Fine"....the same way.


TH

[i***@yahoo.com]

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by D. Rusnak
I think you lads are incorrect on this one. Live, Lennon played the "I
Feel Fine" riff using the barre "E" chord formation adding the necessary
notes with the little finger, but, Harrison played the riff by picking
the notes out sliding around a few frets much like bass player or
country picker would and NOT in the "E" barre chord formation.
Also, Lennon only plays the riff only when he's not singing.

I'm trying, and failing, to imagine just where you got this idea;)
George plays the riff the same way John does.
There is no reason on earth why one would make the riff harder to play
by not using the barre position. See Ed Sullivan, 1965, George and John
playing "I Feel Fine"....the same way.
TH

Go watch the song live on youtube. George is using same E barre chord
shape as John when doing the riff.

[D. Rusnak]

You lads are right. Where I got this idea from is at the end of the
guitar solo at Blackpool '65, and very clear at Shea '65, Harrison plays
a "different" non-barre riff and this led me to jump to my conclusion.
Check it out!

Post by i***@yahoo.com

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by D. Rusnak
I think you lads are incorrect on this one. Live, Lennon played the "I
Feel Fine" riff using the barre "E" chord formation adding the necessary
notes with the little finger, but, Harrison played the riff by picking
the notes out sliding around a few frets much like bass player or
country picker would and NOT in the "E" barre chord formation.
Also, Lennon only plays the riff only when he's not singing.

I'm trying, and failing, to imagine just where you got this idea;)
George plays the riff the same way John does.
There is no reason on earth why one would make the riff harder to play
by not using the barre position. See Ed Sullivan, 1965, George and John
playing "I Feel Fine"....the same way.
TH

Go watch the song live on youtube. George is using same E barre chord
shape as John when doing the riff.
http://youtu.be/GLgJRhMdqOc

[A Canker Sore]

(BlackMonk)
g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
I am surprised by John's guitar ability at
times.
I was surprised when I saw a few live
performances of I Feel Fine for the first
time. The ease with which John played
the opening riff amazed me! I never
uderstood that really riff (being a
guitarplayer) and always thought
that surely George played that. But no,
John did, and he does it co 'carelessly'
and yet perfect...! didn't expect that!
It's not difficult, and John played it live
on his 3/4 size Rickenbacker, though
on the record it's played on his
acoustic/electric, which also has a very
small neck.
It's not easy, either. Especially at that
tempo, while singing, and compared to
what else was around at the time. I
think they slowed it down a bit on the
Anthology live version, though.

I wasn't aware that the song was ever performed live. If it wasn't,
nobody had to have been on the vocals at that time. That's the way it
works in the studio.

[b***@my-deja.com]

Post by MikeLawyr2
I am surprised by John's guitar ability at times.

I'm actually - pleassanatly - surprised by the playing in general on
'I Feel Fine'. The guitar stands out, sure, but the drumming and bass
work is also superb - this is my favorite early Beatles track, because
of the playing (as a song its a bit slight).

[dlarsson]

Post by MikeLawyr2
I am surprised by John's guitar ability at times. All My Loving is
amazingly exact. I would have considered Norwegian Wood and Dear
Prudence to be beyond him, but we have the bootleg evidence to the
contrary. I would have considered Working Class Hero to be the limit
of his skills.

Why-?

Lennon had a great musical mind.
His chord vocabulary and use of chords even right from the
very early days was always quite sophisticated ("Ask Me Why",
"This Boy", "Bad To Me", "All I Gotta Do", "Do You Want to
Know A Secret", "If I Fell", "I'll Be Back", "Help",
"Ticket To Ride", "Girl", "Julia", "Because", etc.)

His Rythmn playing was also always excellant:
"All My Lovin, "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away",
"She's A Woman", "Norweigan Wood", "Ticket To Ride",
"She Said, She Said", "A Day In the Life", "Sun King").

He also solo-ed more commonly than he is widely acknowledged:
["You Can't Do That", "I Feel Fine (riff)", "Day Tripper (riff)",
"Nowehere Man (duet w/Harrison)", "And Your Bird Can
Sing (duet w/Harrison)", "Dear Prudence (intro)",
"Revolution", "Hey Bulldog", "Everybody's Got
Something To Hide", "Ballad of John & Yoko",
"Honey Pie" (jazzy solo break) ,
"Across The Universe (intro)", "Get Back",
"I Want You/She's So Heavy", "Because" (guitarist),
"The End" (3rd guitar in sequence) ]


Also, get the "Minds Games" CD (or the new "Working Class
Hero" compilation CD-set) and listen to Lennon's fingerpicking
intro on the song: "Out The Blue".

I am a guitarist and I find Lennon's fingerpicking work in
"Out The Blue" and also "Dear Prudence", "Julia" more
difficult to actually play cleanly then either Paul's "Blackbird"
or George's "Here Comes The Sun".

It took me a long while for me to be able to play "Out The Blue"
cleanly and correctly (and I can play just about everything in the
entire Beatles Catalog).

Overall, Harrison was their most technically proficient guitarist
(he is awesome on "Abbey Road")
But Lennon's guitar work and great style puts him in 2nd-place.

Have you every heard any band "cover" the song "Revolution"
and have the guitar work actually -sound- as good as Lennon-?

Outside of just two songs "Taxman" & "Blackbird" (both of
which I learned) Paul's guitar playing doesn't do much for me.

When I think of the Beatles guitar playing:
It's George -and- JOHN for me.


-Derek

[John Gutglueck]

Post by dlarsson

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
Who are playing the soaring guitar solo?
It is not mentioned in any of the Levisohn books.
I have visited several web sites where the solo is attributed to both
George and John.
I have seen people write that the solo reminds of Paul - that it is his
style - I agree.
So to me, it remains a real mystery - who played it?
Has anyone got the answer to this question, based on reliable sources?

Virtually all sources attribute it to George Harrison.
("BeatleSongs", Lewisohn, etc.)
I have seen one source that attributes it to John Lennon
(Tell Me Why?) and given the "hyper-active" right-hand work
(similar to "Revolution") it fits Lennon's aggressive style.
It was also John song.
It could not have been McCartney.
McCartney played the bass and the piano.
So for McCartney to have also then done the guitar playing
too would then have made the song an "all-McCartney instrumental"
aside from the drums.
This is virtually impossible given the circumstances.
This song was written by John Lennon, so he would have
had some instrumental role on the song itself (the guitar riffs
at minimum). Harrison most likely did the solo,
but remember Lennon's own guitar playing ("Revolution",
"I Want You/She's So Heavy", "Dear Prudence", etc.)
had gotten pretty good by then.

Walter Everett, who is generally very reliable about such matters,
gives the guitar solo to Lennon:

"On the record, we ear the basic track of Lennon's piano, Harrison's
Casino, Starr's drums, Mal Evans's tambourine (all left), and
McCartney's Rickenbacker bass (center), with just a few overdubs.
These include Starr's off-beat drums, left, and Harrison's distorted
SG, doubling the Casino's chromatic ostinato for the introduction
(center), and Lennon's distorted lead guitar solo, lead vocal from
Lennon, and a final vocal take with Lennon doubling his lead and
McCartney providing harmony (right). McCartney's vocal part is
actually below Lennon's [in the verse], a texture that [had] rarely
been heard before but was to recur a few times in 1968-69." [Page
155, The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology]

Lennon could make a guitar speak.

--
John

[Danny Caccavo]

Post by John Gutglueck
Walter Everett, who is generally very reliable about such matters,
"On the record, we ear the basic track of Lennon's piano, Harrison's
Casino, Starr's drums, Mal Evans's tambourine (all left), and
McCartney's Rickenbacker bass (center), with just a few overdubs.
These include Starr's off-beat drums, left, and Harrison's distorted
SG, doubling the Casino's chromatic ostinato for the introduction
(center), and Lennon's distorted lead guitar solo, lead vocal from
Lennon, and a final vocal take with Lennon doubling his lead and
McCartney providing harmony (right). McCartney's vocal part is
actually below Lennon's [in the verse], a texture that [had] rarely
been heard before but was to recur a few times in 1968-69." [Page
155, The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology]
Lennon could make a guitar speak.
--
John

Actually, it's Paul's tambourine(s). Paul played it live during the
basic track. Paul tracked the bass in later.

dc

[iarwain]

Post by poisoned rose
1. released on a peripheral "Beatles" album

Easily the best song done for the Yellow Submarine movie, however.
Notice that the powers that be chose to emphasize "All Together Now" as
the major song of the film, which is an embarrassment IMO. No doubt
this was done due to the childlike nature of the song, and because "Hey
Bulldog" was probably considered to heavy sounding to be popular.

Post by poisoned rose
2. lack of a resonant lyric

The "You can talk to me" bit is pretty catchy.

Post by poisoned rose
3. silly title

Yep.

[Annie]

Post by iarwain

Post by poisoned rose
1. released on a peripheral "Beatles" album

Easily the best song done for the Yellow Submarine movie, however.
Notice that the powers that be chose to emphasize "All Together Now" as
the major song of the film, which is an embarrassment IMO. No doubt
this was done due to the childlike nature of the song, and because "Hey
Bulldog" was probably considered to heavy sounding to be popular.

Well, sure. Yellow Submarine was a cartoon; perhaps they wanted to
appeal to children so they used All Together Now to promote it. Also,
perhaps they just wanted to send a sort of "People of the World Unite!"
message. The music video they released shows the phrase "All Together
Now" in several languages. Of course it looks cheesy now, but I imagine
it was fairly cool forty years ago.

[A Canker Sore]

Post by iarwain
The "You can talk to me" bit is pretty catchy.
3. silly title
Yep.

I have one friend who kept refering to the title of
"You can talk to me." He thought for a number of years that's what the
song was called..and it
took me that long to figure out he was refering to "Hey Bulldog."

[t***@aerovons.com]

Post by A Canker Sore

Post by iarwain
The "You can talk to me" bit is pretty catchy.
3. silly title
Yep.

I have one friend who kept refering to the title of
"You can talk to me." He thought for a number of years that's what the
song was called..and it
took me that long to figure out he was refering to "Hey Bulldog."

The song is nonsense verse. Why is it a silly title?

"I Am The Walrus" sounds pretty silly on paper too, as do a bunch of
other titles of theirs, until you hear 'em....

TH

[A Canker Sore]

Post by iarwain
The "You can talk to me" bit is pretty
catchy.
3. silly title
Yep.
I have one friend who kept refering to
the title of "You can talk to me." He
thought for a number of years that's
what the song was called..and it
took me that long to figure out he was
refering to "Hey Bulldog."
The song is nonsense verse. Why is it a
silly title?

Did I write that? Maybe I did? My point is that the "You can talk to me"
Lyric..almost
comes off as a possibility of the title of the song. I can understand
why someone might think it was the song title. Do you agree?

Post by iarwain
"I Am The Walrus" sounds pretty silly
on paper too, as do a bunch of other
titles of theirs, until you hear 'em....
TH

Agreed. Sorry for the confusion.

[A Canker Sore]

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
Has anyone got the answer to this question,
based on reliable sources?

No, but it's George playing the solo. The give away is those high notes,
and it's his style.

[DanKaye]

Post by A Canker Sore

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
Has anyone got the answer to this question,
based on reliable sources?

No, but it's George playing the solo. The give away is those high notes,
and it's his style.

I always thought it was George, but it does sound a bit like Paul,
too, and then a case can be made that it was John.

Who the hell really KNOWS? It would be great if someone could ask
Paul!
Anyone?

[t***@aerovons.com]

Post by DanKaye

Post by A Canker Sore

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
Has anyone got the answer to this question,
based on reliable sources?

No, but it's George playing the solo. The give away is those high notes,
and it's his style.

I always thought it was George, but it does sound a bit like Paul,
too, and then a case can be made that it was John.
Who the hell really KNOWS? It would be great if someone could ask
Paul!
Anyone?

Walt is expressing his opinion, since no one really knows I guess,
though for me John never played solos with wide leaps like this one. I
never assumed it was anyone but George-- that's my guess and I'm
stickin' to it;)

TH

[dahldude]

Maybe that new book will shed some light:

http://tinyurl.com/okb6w

[u***@mscomm.com]

"I find it baffling that some people consider Macca a better guitar
player than Harrison."

I don't think there's any doubt that Paul is much the better guitarist
than George. Watch the "Paul McCartney Over America" DVD from his 2002
tour. They show Macca playing lead guitar (with extended solo) on
"Matchbox" and he absolutely smokes. Anyone who sees that wouldn't
doubt he plays circles around George. And as an acoustic guitarist,
Paul is tremendously superior to George.

Emerick was in the studio with them and thought George's playing was
"ham-fisted" and torturous. He describes how George constantly flubbed
and ruined the guitar solo on "Taxman." Then Paul casually walked up,
whipped out his blistering solo and they used that because George just
wasn't good enough.

I realize Geoff is prejudiced against George and clearly favors Macca,
but the evidence on the records clearly shows George was not a very
good guitarist until much later when he became an "OK" guitarist. When
he went to the slide guitar, he improved.

Macca is just so much more talented as an instrumentalist than the
other Beatles. The solo on Hey Bulldog is too good to be George and
just sounds exactly like Paul's loose, effortless style.

[t***@aerovons.com]

Post by u***@mscomm.com
"I find it baffling that some people consider Macca a better guitar
player than Harrison."
I don't think there's any doubt that Paul is much the better guitarist
than George. Watch the "Paul McCartney Over America" DVD from his 2002
tour. They show Macca playing lead guitar (with extended solo) on
"Matchbox" and he absolutely smokes. Anyone who sees that wouldn't
doubt he plays circles around George. And as an acoustic guitarist,
Paul is tremendously superior to George.
Emerick was in the studio with them and thought George's playing was
"ham-fisted" and torturous. He describes how George constantly flubbed
and ruined the guitar solo on "Taxman." Then Paul casually walked up,
whipped out his blistering solo and they used that because George just
wasn't good enough.
I realize Geoff is prejudiced against George and clearly favors Macca,
but the evidence on the records clearly shows George was not a very
good guitarist until much later when he became an "OK" guitarist. When
he went to the slide guitar, he improved.
Macca is just so much more talented as an instrumentalist than the
other Beatles. The solo on Hey Bulldog is too good to be George and
just sounds exactly like Paul's loose, effortless style.

I think you are confusing improvisation talents with playing talents.
You don't play the solo to "Till There Was You" or "All My Loving" or
"Help" or "And Your Bird Can Sing" if you stink. But George was
terrible at improvising.

The solo in "Bulldog" is definitely not John's style (the big leaps)
and yes Paul could have played it but it's unlikely. Well within
George's capability, not a hard solo at all.

TH

[Annie]

Post by t***@aerovons.com
I think you are confusing improvisation talents with playing talents.
You don't play the solo to "Till There Was You" or "All My Loving" or
"Help" or "And Your Bird Can Sing" if you stink. But George was
terrible at improvising.
The solo in "Bulldog" is definitely not John's style (the big leaps)
and yes Paul could have played it but it's unlikely. Well within
George's capability, not a hard solo at all.
TH

Agreed. George was a fine guitarist, so was Paul. I don't know enough
to really rate/compare them technically. I believe Emerick when he
talks about how, in the early days, George had to work pretty hard to
nail his solos. My friend has a collection of DVDs which claim to have
every scrap of Beatles footage EVER; included are many outtakes from
recording sessions. George's playing is often not up to scratch on them
(both in the studio and LIVE on stage). Paul, on the other hand, seems
to have been very good at improvising and whipping out solos (the Good
Morning solo is my personal fave of his). However, George definitely
improved greatly (as Emerick also takes pains to document), and,
listening to the "dueling" guitar solos in The End, it seems to me that
George's solos are at least as good as Paul's, probably better. Just my
opinion.

Back on topic, I personally don't get all the fuss over the Hey Bulldog
guitar solo...? It's good, but not "godlike" or anything, as some have
suggested. I think it could easily be George, and therefore probably
is, as he was the lead guitarist.

[Danny Caccavo]

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by u***@mscomm.com
"I find it baffling that some people consider Macca a better guitar
player than Harrison."
I don't think there's any doubt that Paul is much the better guitarist
than George. Watch the "Paul McCartney Over America" DVD from his 2002
tour. They show Macca playing lead guitar (with extended solo) on
"Matchbox" and he absolutely smokes. Anyone who sees that wouldn't
doubt he plays circles around George. And as an acoustic guitarist,
Paul is tremendously superior to George.
Emerick was in the studio with them and thought George's playing was
"ham-fisted" and torturous. He describes how George constantly flubbed
and ruined the guitar solo on "Taxman." Then Paul casually walked up,
whipped out his blistering solo and they used that because George just
wasn't good enough.
I realize Geoff is prejudiced against George and clearly favors Macca,
but the evidence on the records clearly shows George was not a very
good guitarist until much later when he became an "OK" guitarist. When
he went to the slide guitar, he improved.
Macca is just so much more talented as an instrumentalist than the
other Beatles. The solo on Hey Bulldog is too good to be George and
just sounds exactly like Paul's loose, effortless style.

I think you are confusing improvisation talents with playing talents.
You don't play the solo to "Till There Was You" or "All My Loving" or
"Help" or "And Your Bird Can Sing" if you stink. But George was
terrible at improvising.
The solo in "Bulldog" is definitely not John's style (the big leaps)
and yes Paul could have played it but it's unlikely. Well within
George's capability, not a hard solo at all.
TH

Well, the double-stops on the solo are more of a "John-style" than
either George or Paul....<g>.

It sounds to me more like John. But maybe George. Not Paul.

I guess they hung around together a lot....<g>

dc

[Bill Kawalec]

Post by Danny Caccavo

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by u***@mscomm.com
"I find it baffling that some people consider Macca a better guitar
player than Harrison."
I don't think there's any doubt that Paul is much the better guitarist
than George. Watch the "Paul McCartney Over America" DVD from his 2002
tour. They show Macca playing lead guitar (with extended solo) on
"Matchbox" and he absolutely smokes. Anyone who sees that wouldn't
doubt he plays circles around George. And as an acoustic guitarist,
Paul is tremendously superior to George.
Emerick was in the studio with them and thought George's playing was
"ham-fisted" and torturous. He describes how George constantly flubbed
and ruined the guitar solo on "Taxman." Then Paul casually walked up,
whipped out his blistering solo and they used that because George just
wasn't good enough.
I realize Geoff is prejudiced against George and clearly favors Macca,
but the evidence on the records clearly shows George was not a very
good guitarist until much later when he became an "OK" guitarist. When
he went to the slide guitar, he improved.
Macca is just so much more talented as an instrumentalist than the
other Beatles. The solo on Hey Bulldog is too good to be George and
just sounds exactly like Paul's loose, effortless style.

I think you are confusing improvisation talents with playing talents.
You don't play the solo to "Till There Was You" or "All My Loving" or
"Help" or "And Your Bird Can Sing" if you stink. But George was
terrible at improvising.
The solo in "Bulldog" is definitely not John's style (the big leaps)
and yes Paul could have played it but it's unlikely. Well within
George's capability, not a hard solo at all.
TH

Well, the double-stops on the solo are more of a "John-style" than
either George or Paul....<g>.
It sounds to me more like John. But maybe George. Not Paul.
I guess they hung around together a lot....<g>

nah. that's just a rumor . . .
;-)

[hucktunes™]

Hey Bulldog got a lot of radio play from the local college station
where I lived in Pasadena, Ca, KPPC, when it came out. I've always
loved that song. I always assumed it was John on guitar. It sounds like
him. Back then I was real curious as to what Bulldog he was singing
about. I've always been facsinated with words and went through a lot of
dictionaries and found one that said Bulldog was a slang term for a
school counselor, as well as a jailer, etc. You can talk to me sounds
like something a school counselor would say.

Post by Bill Kawalec

Post by Danny Caccavo

Post by t***@aerovons.com

Post by u***@mscomm.com
"I find it baffling that some people consider Macca a better guitar
player than Harrison."
I don't think there's any doubt that Paul is much the better guitarist
than George. Watch the "Paul McCartney Over America" DVD from his 2002
tour. They show Macca playing lead guitar (with extended solo) on
"Matchbox" and he absolutely smokes. Anyone who sees that wouldn't
doubt he plays circles around George. And as an acoustic guitarist,
Paul is tremendously superior to George.
Emerick was in the studio with them and thought George's playing was
"ham-fisted" and torturous. He describes how George constantly flubbed
and ruined the guitar solo on "Taxman." Then Paul casually walked up,
whipped out his blistering solo and they used that because George just
wasn't good enough.
I realize Geoff is prejudiced against George and clearly favors Macca,
but the evidence on the records clearly shows George was not a very
good guitarist until much later when he became an "OK" guitarist. When
he went to the slide guitar, he improved.
Macca is just so much more talented as an instrumentalist than the
other Beatles. The solo on Hey Bulldog is too good to be George and
just sounds exactly like Paul's loose, effortless style.

I think you are confusing improvisation talents with playing talents.
You don't play the solo to "Till There Was You" or "All My Loving" or
"Help" or "And Your Bird Can Sing" if you stink. But George was
terrible at improvising.
The solo in "Bulldog" is definitely not John's style (the big leaps)
and yes Paul could have played it but it's unlikely. Well within
George's capability, not a hard solo at all.
TH

Well, the double-stops on the solo are more of a "John-style" than
either George or Paul....<g>.
It sounds to me more like John. But maybe George. Not Paul.
I guess they hung around together a lot....<g>

nah. that's just a rumor . . .
;-)
--
I never read email at the Yahoo address!

Post by Danny Caccavo
dc

[u***@tomeyou.org]

In article <1155233159.286006.20510

@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,

Well, the double-stops on the solo are more of a "John-style"

than

either George or Paul....<g>.
It sounds to me more like John. But maybe George. Not Paul.
I guess they hung around together a lot....<g>
dc

Sound more like Paul. Fits in well with the sound of the
Taxman solo and Good Morning, Good Morning.
If it's not Paul, I think it's John. Doesn't sound like
Harrison. I'd like to have a definitive answer.

[s***@gmail.com]

Post by t***@aerovons.com
The solo in "Bulldog" is definitely not John's style (the big leaps)
and yes Paul could have played it but it's unlikely. Well within
George's capability, not a hard solo at all.
TH

Prior to this thread I had never heard any suspicion that this solo
was, or could be, attributed to anyone other than George. To my ears
it's got George's compositional DNA all over it and is in a very
similar vein to his solos on Octopus's Garden and Old Brown Shoe.

[Runnnerr]

Post by u***@mscomm.com
"I find it baffling that some people consider Macca a better guitar
player than Harrison."

Once again, what objective measures are used to determine when
guitarist A is "better" than guitarist B?

Paul and George are different, as Paul and Pete Townshend are
different, as George and David Gilmour are different, etc., etc.

Different, not necessarily better.

I very much enjoy the very different styles of the 4 guitarists I've
named as well as many others.

[D. Rusnak]

An interesting little thingie to add here is that THE driving riff in
"Hey Bulldog" is very close (in fact, identical to the second have of
the "Hey Bulldog" riff) to one of the piano riffs in the Lee Dorsey song
"Get Out Of My Life Woman". Hmmmmmm! Those sneaky Beatles.

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
I think this is a really great song, probably one of the most underrated
of all Beatles recordings among the general public.
Who are playing the soaring guitar solo?
It is not mentioned in any of the Levisohn books.
I have visited several web sites where the solo is attributed to both
George and John.
I have seen people write that the solo reminds of Paul - that it is his
style - I agree.
So to me, it remains a real mystery - who played it?
Has anyone got the answer to this question, based on reliable sources?

[Jenni Carter]

Post by D. Rusnak
An interesting little thingie to add here is that THE driving riff in
"Hey Bulldog" is very close (in fact, identical to the second have of
the "Hey Bulldog" riff) to one of the piano riffs in the Lee Dorsey song
"Get Out Of My Life Woman". Hmmmmmm! Those sneaky Beatles.
So very true. Allen Toussaint deserved a credit on HB. BTW there's nothing

remotely Paul-like about HB solo.
marcuscp

Post by D. Rusnak

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
I think this is a really great song, probably one of the most underrated
of all Beatles recordings among the general public.
Who are playing the soaring guitar solo?
It is not mentioned in any of the Levisohn books.
I have visited several web sites where the solo is attributed to both
George and John.
I have seen people write that the solo reminds of Paul - that it is his
style - I agree.
So to me, it remains a real mystery - who played it?
Has anyone got the answer to this question, based on reliable sources?

[t***@aerovons.com]

Post by Jenni Carter

Post by D. Rusnak
An interesting little thingie to add here is that THE driving riff in
"Hey Bulldog" is very close (in fact, identical to the second have of
the "Hey Bulldog" riff) to one of the piano riffs in the Lee Dorsey song
"Get Out Of My Life Woman". Hmmmmmm! Those sneaky Beatles.
So very true. Allen Toussaint deserved a credit on HB. BTW there's nothing

remotely Paul-like about HB solo.
marcuscp

Post by D. Rusnak

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
I think this is a really great song, probably one of the most underrated
of all Beatles recordings among the general public.
Who are playing the soaring guitar solo?
It is not mentioned in any of the Levisohn books.
I have visited several web sites where the solo is attributed to both
George and John.
I have seen people write that the solo reminds of Paul - that it is his
style - I agree.
So to me, it remains a real mystery - who played it?
Has anyone got the answer to this question, based on reliable sources?

I wouldn't go that far...though I believe George played it, it does
feature Paul's characteristic melodic leaps.

That Lee Dorsey reference is a killer...very true!

TH

[m***@nls.net]

I read through all the posts in this thread and didn't spot a mention
of this, so I'll post it. In Geoff Emerick's book, on pg. 222, he
writes:

"Everyone's performance was excellent on that track ["Hey Bulldog"]:
Paul's bass line was probably the most inventive of any he had done
since Pepper, and it was really well played. Harrison's solo was
sparkling, too--one of the few times he nailed it right away. His amp
was turned up really loud, and he used one of his new fuzz boxes, which
made his guitar absolutely scream."

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
I think this is a really great song, probably one of the most underrated
of all Beatles recordings among the general public.
Who are playing the soaring guitar solo?
It is not mentioned in any of the Levisohn books.
I have visited several web sites where the solo is attributed to both
George and John.
I have seen people write that the solo reminds of Paul - that it is his
style - I agree.
So to me, it remains a real mystery - who played it?
Has anyone got the answer to this question, based on reliable sources?

[Some Other Guy]

I just watched the Hey Bulldog video from 1999 and there is a section where John seems to be playing
a solo right on the 7th fret, first two strings, which would be the first notes of the song's solo.

I always thought it was George since I was a kid. After reading Emerich's book, it seems to confirn
it. But, watching the video, it seems to be John playing it, but he may have only been noodlng
around. It happens at 2:15 into the video. Check it out. He is definitely playing some type of solo,
if not this one and may be messing around.

Tony

Post by m***@nls.net
I read through all the posts in this thread and didn't spot a mention
of this, so I'll post it. In Geoff Emerick's book, on pg. 222, he
Paul's bass line was probably the most inventive of any he had done
since Pepper, and it was really well played. Harrison's solo was
sparkling, too--one of the few times he nailed it right away. His amp
was turned up really loud, and he used one of his new fuzz boxes, which
made his guitar absolutely scream."

Post by Jim Roger Olsen
I think this is a really great song, probably one of the most underrated
of all Beatles recordings among the general public.
Who are playing the soaring guitar solo?
It is not mentioned in any of the Levisohn books.
I have visited several web sites where the solo is attributed to both
George and John.
I have seen people write that the solo reminds of Paul - that it is his
style - I agree.
So to me, it remains a real mystery - who played it?
Has anyone got the answer to this question, based on reliable sources?

[lazyrapper]

Post by Some Other Guy
I just watched the Hey Bulldog video from 1999 and there is a section where
John seems to be playing
a solo right on the 7th fret, first two strings, which would be the first
notes of the song's solo.
I always thought it was George since I was a kid. After reading Emerich's
book, it seems to confirn
it. But, watching the video, it seems to be John playing it, but he may
have only been noodlng
around. It happens at 2:15 into the video. Check it out. He is definitely
playing some type of solo,
if not this one and may be messing around.

It's just a video, they were miming, it doesn't mean anything!!

[Some Other Guy]

Post by lazyrapper

Post by Some Other Guy
I just watched the Hey Bulldog video from 1999 and there is a section where
John seems to be playing
a solo right on the 7th fret, first two strings, which would be the first
notes of the song's solo.
I always thought it was George since I was a kid. After reading Emerich's
book, it seems to confirn
it. But, watching the video, it seems to be John playing it, but he may
have only been noodlng
around. It happens at 2:15 into the video. Check it out. He is definitely
playing some type of solo,
if not this one and may be messing around.

It's just a video, they were miming, it doesn't mean anything!!

He wasnt miming there. He is playing something and they filmed it. They didnt sync it up where it
belongs but he was definitely playing something there. Makes one think.