Classical Composer Reacts to THE BEATLES: HELTER SKELTER | The Daily Doug (Episode 817)
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- #helterskelter #beatles #thebeatles
In this edition of #thedailydoug, I'm listening to Helter Skelter by The Beatles. A few months ago, this song was submitted as a metal song for my Metal Fan Favorites video on Patreon. I didn't think of it as a metal song, so I deferred. But, the song has been on my mind ever since. So, today, we hear the original Beatles release as well as three different covers by diverse artists including U2,
Mötley Crüe, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. I hope you enjoy!
Reference Video: • Helter Skelter (Remast...
Reference Video: • Helter Skelter
Reference Video: • Helter Skelter (Live)
Reference Video: • Helter Skelter
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"Those are not the right chords..." - welcome to punk
Gets my vote!
"That broke every rule I can think of"...welcome to punk
That’s the number one reason I hate Punk. Unlistenable 💩
When James Hetfield heard "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" for the first time, he said "Damn. I thought WE were heavy."
That's quite strange, since James stated multiple times that he hated The Beatles with passion. It was surprising that he chose to do a cover of In My Life though
@@rodoxag9117I’d know more about that, is there any information on this online
@@rodoxag9117Is there more info on this?
Todos odian a the beatles hasta que los escuchan...
@@rodoxag9117 Couldn't have hated them too much.
When asked about the beginnings of heavy metal, Black Sabbath bassist Gezzer Butler said this Beatle song was the 1st.
Ad "Revolution" (the single version) 🤘🤘🤘
This is not heavy metal but it deeply inspired me and many others, Late 60's!!!
@@daredevildaryl2645your opinion is valid but some would still disagree.
@@daredevildaryl2645I'd say the heavy distortion, loud drums, chunky bass, palm muted E strumming, and screaming from Paul perfectly encapsulates the bare backbone of heavy metal.
I always felt the fame
Paul was asked about Helter Skelter being the first Heavey metal song. Paul said [ I'll take that.
Was that on the occasion when he and Rick Rubin payed tribute to Cannibal Corpse?
Led Zeppelin were already formed and playing Dazed and Confused and Communication Breakdown live before The Beatles recorded this. And Becks Bolero was spring 1966.
@@lyndoncmp5751 I've just looked at specific dates and that is not true. The take of Helter skelter used on the album was recorded September 9th 68. Zeppelin played as the new Yardbirds (before they ever recorded anything) September 7th. At the end of the month they began recording the first album.
Mind you it could also be classed as Punk or Grunge. Of course, I'm only making a very minor point here.
@@captainape6807 I think of it as sort of thrash metal. Gave a present to my wife's niece's 1-year old daughter, Band in a Bath. Wife's niece described lots of splashing as everything bashed and slammed with total enthusiasm!
When you realize there was no 'metal" before Helter Skelter, it's a real eye-opener.
The Kinks, You Really Got Me is a contender.
Absolutely.
There was Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild which mentions (for the first time, I think) Heavy Metal. This was released in May of '68 whereas the Beatles (white album) was released in Nov. '68...
@@jingle3 except for Steppenwolf, Cream, Jimi Hendrix...,
Led Zeppelin were already formed and playing Dazed and Confused and Communication Breakdown live before The Beatles recorded this. And Becks Bolero was spring 1966.
"You may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer" - what a classic R&R line.
Siouxsie and the Banshees are amazing, they do an incredible cover of Dear Prudence
Banshees version of helter skelter is the only one that matches up to Beatles version. Cant agree with Doug about Motley Crue, their version is hideous. Love Banshees version of Dear Prudence by the way.
and cover of Wild Honey Pie as well, I believe.
@@kurniadi9829 Pixies did Wild Honey Pie.
"That broke every single rule i could think of..." Sounds like a succesful punk band.
I love the Motley Crue cover so much. Since Helter Skelter is considered at the very least pre-heavy metal, if not one of the earliest examples, it's fitting that Motley Crue took it to its logical conclusion in the early 80s metal scene. The MC members are all huge Beatles' fans. Thank you for playing it!
When I heard you say, "Siouxsie and the Banshees", I was like, you are in for a confusing treat. LOL Siouxsie and the Banshees is a band you should look into for reaction videos. They are so unique and interesting. You can't really judge them as a band from this cover song. I think you will really enjoy some of their catalog of original music.
He should examine the chords to Christine, for starters.
Too bad Siouxsie was basically just a none-too-bright poser, swastika armband and all.
Siouxsie did some fantastic covers, Through The Looking Glass is brilliant.
Siouxsie also did a cover of another Beatles song - Dear Prudence.
and also Wild Honey Pie, I believe🤔🤔
A Helter Skelter is an amusement ride resembling a lighthouse, popular in the UK.
One of my earliest boyhood memories is of a ride on a seaside Helter Skelter. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee
@@LordEriolTolkien 16 miles north of Liverpool is Southport (on the Irish Sea coast for people who don't know about it). It is easy to reach from Liverpool because there is a commuter train line that goes from Central Liverpool to Southport. Southport had a fun fair called Pleasureland and they had a fine example of a helter skelter. So maybe this is the one Paul was thinking about when he wrote this song. If I remember correctly the bottom of the ride was a well polished wooden bowl where you could watch people coming down the end of the ride and getting spun around in the bowl. It was a popular thing to watch.
@@martinconnelly1473 yes there was a wooden bowl at the end... I would have been no older than 5
It's a roller coaster type ride. When Paul plays this on his concert tours, the video screen is a first person ride on a roller coaster. And yes, I've always thought this was their heaviest song. I was always amazed that it was on the same album as "Julia" or "Blackbird" as they are so opposite in composition, but that's what the Beatles did.
It's a wooden tower with a spiral slide around the outside. You have to climb internal stairs inside the tower carrying a mat. You get to the top and slide down to the bottom on the mat.
It's NOT a "roller coaster type ride." Just a slide spiraling around a lighthouse shaped or cone shaped structure.
The Beatles’ first attempt to record ‘Helter Skelter’ took place on 18 July 1968. They recorded three takes, lasting 10’40”, 12’35” and 27’11” respectively; the last was the longest recording in the group’s career. (the Beatles Bible)
"Blisters" comment is definitely Ringo. Unmistakable. Never heard of Siouxsie and The Banshees???!!! I can't believe it. British music legends and Punk/Rock/Goth royalty!! Their version of Helter Skelter is one of my favourite Beatles covers ever. I'm a huge Beatles fan and also love Siouxsie. You should dive into some Siouxsie and The Banshees, she moved through lots of sounds and styles - and this is probably the most extreme you could have started with for her/their music ! Saw them live around this time and they were incredible.
The complete song was 24 minutes long, That's why “I’ve got blisters on my fingers” they were real for Ringo!
Mal Evans was The Beatles’s road manager. He is also the fellow who counts the bars in A Day in the Life. And that was definitely Ringo shouting at the end.
Also the sax at the end is said to be Brian Jones of the Stones.
@@jimmuratori5625 There was also a professional sax player in Britan named Brian Jones as well. THAT Brian Jones played on "All you need is Love"
@@saintndacity4814 So, it was written in the notes of 'Beatles-Past Masters 2' that it was Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones that played sax on 'You Know My Name (look up the number)'. Is this correct now, I'm wondering 🤔
@@celt67 It definitely was Brian Jones on You know my name.
He's very visible in the Get Back documentary, hitting the anvil on Maxwell's Silver Hammer amongst other things.
I'm another guy that got introduced to Helter Shelter by the Rattle and Hum album. Though it didn't get good reviews, it introduced me to Dylan, BB King, Billie Holiday and began exploration of music in my life 😊
There is so much to like in "Rattle and Hum". The live performance of "I Still Haven't Found..." is awesome, and "All I Want Is You" is my favorite U2 song. Wonderful stuff indeed.
@@br.martindallyosb1147 I was quite impressed by "Love Rescue Me" then. Though compared with Bob Dylan's masterpieces that I knew later, it's a minor work and rarely get mentioned, it's still a standout from many other songs.
Rattle and Hum has, hands-down, the best version of Sunday Bloody Sunday. Angry Bono is a good Bono
Billie
@@HisHowliness Thanks for pointing it out. I've corrected it.
Ringo said that after pounding away on a 20 minute unreleased version. They just tagged it at the end for effect. 20 minutes of that and anyone would have blisters on their fingers
It's a miracle Paul didn't strain his vocal cords. Also, John's bass playing is hilarious, he's beating the crap out of the instrument. I can imagine him handing it back to Paul afterwards and saying. "I think your bass is out of tune." Nothing comes close to the rawness of the original.
I've always assumed it was John on the bass but the recording outtakes have left me almost certain that it's actually Paul after all.
@@benthompson9349 Yeah, I've always heard it was John, but who knows what to believe at this point.
@@EddieReischl search for the Helter Skelter video on the You Can't Unhear This channel. It's a real eye-opener.
I’m sure someone already mentioned this but Siouxsie and the Banshees were very popular, and an MTV favorite back in the day. I would recommend listening to their cover of Dear Prudence!
It is Ringo who shouts out. There is a 27 minute version of this track that was made in the studio at the time and it was going to be released on the anthology project but there were just a couple of tracks put out from the 27 mins version instead. The whole 27 mins version has never been released in it's entirety...
Oh shit, Doug's on piano, y'all. Class is about to begin.
Phenomenal review of a phenomenal track.
Mal Evans was the Beatles road manager and friend, whom they met hanging out with Pete Best in 1960. He bangs Maxwell's silver hammer (clanks on the anvil)as well. Mal Went on to be in the studio with John, George, Ringo during the 70s friendly helping out with whatever he was asked.
And he met a terrible end, poor sod.
It was Ringo shouting at the end as well as he threw his sticks on the ground.
Killer reaction to an iconic song. Very cool that you included the version by Siouxsie and the Banshees they had a big influence on a lot of bands. In particular Nirvana and other Seattle bands. "Those are not the right chords..." - but the Beatles already told us we can do anything we want.
That was fantastic! And for 1968 that was a metal song, Once again Paul McCartney proves he can do anything musically!
I love Ringo here on the drums - he's got a unique style that no one else can match and is one of my favorite drummers.
When I first listened to the Beatles version of "Helter Skelter" my first reaction was one of astonishment.
Someone else reacted to this song a while ago and he said it sounded like a ritual. I get that, too. What the other renditions lack is how the Beatles made this song sound frightening, regardless of what the lyrics say. So, I'll always go back to the original to be astonished and frightened all over again.
For me, listening to Helter Skelter has always created a sort cathartic release of all the madness, frustrations and the repetitive insanity that often comes with unhealthy relationships.
The music is raw and in a way brutally honest about repeating the same things over and over trying to fix a most likely doomed relationship but without any positive results.
The lyrics speak to much the same dynamic: "When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide when I stop and I turn and I go for a ride till I get to the bottom and I see you AGAIN...". The lyrics and music fit together beautifully and the combination of the two result in creating a sort of existential commentary on the futility of repetition and the realization that our actions make little to no difference in the grand scheme of things and dealing with the sense of hopeless and the fact that desires, no matter how strong, are basically inconsequential on this tiny planet, and accepting the notion that we're really nothing much more than specks in the vastness of the universe.
Remarkable stuff if you ask me, remarkable to say the least.
I am SO GLAD you included the Siouxsie version! It's my favorite one :)
I agree but think the best version is on Nocturne
It is Ringo. He said that after a mountain of takes to get it how they wanted. He had blisters on his fingers .
Sounds like Ringo to me.
You may know about the tradition over in the UK of shouting out "Freebird" in the quiet bits between song. Someone did this at one of my band's gigs and we answered with this. At the interval the same bloke came over and said "yeah, much better choice!".
Helter Skelter is a blues so there is always that mix of major and minor. The vocals and descending line really push the major more than is normal.
Lemme cause some trouble:
"Helter Skelter, in a summer swelter..."
The Bryds flew off in a fallout shelter? Eight miles high and falling faaaaaaast.
Now there's a song he should do a reaction to. The whole of the sixties in one eight minute song.
Siouxsie and the Banshees version of Dear Prudence is amazing
It's The Beatles for me. It came so out of the blue, both in their repertoire and in the music of its day, that it remains irresistible. The other versions assert their own flavourings whilst missing the point of its original dynamics. Siouxsie's deconstruction method jars most, but the McCartney facility with form, style and genre is what powers the arrangement of the original; Live and Let Die is the most succinctly bare-faced demonstration of that skill, written to match the opening titles, but strong enough to be played live decades on.
It definitely was Ringo, who got the blisters from the session.
That last one makes me hopeful that Doug might be ready for SWANS soon. Love to see more experimental/avant-garde bands from him. That'd make for some interesting videos.
Growing up listening the Beatles from my Dad's record collection, he had every album with the exception of The White album.
My first experience with Helter skelter was the version on Anthology 3.
Imagine my surprise years later when I heard the original.
It's a folk song!
You need to listen to more Banshees.
Speaking of Punk - It's overdue to give that genre a chance. I would recommend Dead Kennedys ("Holiday in Cambodia" or "California über alles" are some popular tunes to react to) when you ready for some raw power, or if you want to hear some bittersweet melodies than maybe something from Misfits. There is definitely something to explore there, too.
Goosebumps every time I hear this !!
For something in a similar vain you might be interested in "European Son" by the Velvet Underground. A wild, raucous jam from the previous year, 1967.
"Those are not the right cords", haha. "That broke every single rule I can think of" haha that's Siouxsie for ya.
I love that you included the Siouxsie and the Banshees version. Of all the covers I've heard of the song, Siouxsie's is by far the most faithful to the original spirit of the song.
They've also got a great cover of Dear Prudence, another Beatles song. Nothing like the Helter Skelter cover at all!
Siouxsie is a national treasure, part of the Punk scene but had transcended it into avante garde pretty soon. Some damn fine musicians passed through her band.
@@davegold Came to say Prudence
@@davegold A good cover; The band made their version their own, not just replaying the original. AND it cannot be a degradation of the original song.
Siouxsie and the Banshees did exactly this with Helter Skelter it's a good cover. But Dear Prudence by them sucks, it is just a degraded version of the original, an insult. In this video the U@ cover of Helter Skelter is another example of a very poor cover because it too is just a degraded version of the original.
Thanks for your breakdown and backstory of the song! Though I think his other song, "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" is even more raw.
Of course The Beatles original version of “Helter Skelter” is a Heavy Metal song. Listen to the aggression in it. That’s the primary element that separates Rock from Metal. Yes, Rock can be hard and heavy, but the aggression factor has to be there for it to be Metal. The Beatles recorded two of the most aggressive songs of 1968… this one and the electrified amped up version of “Revolution.” Those songs along with what Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin were doing around the same time really helped to give Heavy Metal a proper launch.
People can hem and haw about whether or not “Helter Skelter” is a Metal song all they want if they feel it’s weird to give that credit to The Beatles. I’ve been a Beatles fan since the 70s and it’s not outside the realm of possibilities for me. They had some other songs that fit in the early proto-Metal category. “Taxman” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” from Revolver were the beginnings of The Beatles getting heavy, both musically and in their more pointed lyrical content. Though not as aggressive as “Helter Skelter” they did introduce a more straightforward punch to their music that was dripping with Pop beforehand.
Other heavy songs by The Beatles that have some early Metal elements are:
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Back In The USSR
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Birthday
Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey
Come Together
I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Without The Beatles I think Heavy Metal would have taken a few more years for it to become a thing. They don’t get sole credit, but their contributions are undeniable.
Always happy to see you reviewing the Beatles. I would love to hear you react to Martha, My Dear from the White Album..ty
Doug, Your song choice couldn’t have been any Better. And we had a 4 song comparison……Perfect. Thanks Sir and from now WE SHALL call you MR MUSIC. Ha Let’s let this name Stick…..❤🎉😊
I'm pretty sure Paul plays most of the lead guitar on this one. George kicks in with some slide.
That reprise at the end is explained. They jammed on this song for almost 25 minutes. They cut out a good 20 minutes and bring it back with the true ending. Ringo is the one who exclaims, "I got blisters on my fingers."
Speaking of Iron Butterfly, It would be cool to hear your take on that song. Hard rock, Prog, etc.
Not a metal song but it is one of the earliest milestones on the road to Metal Music.
They jammed on this song for 20+ something minutes, which of course would be too long so they cut out most of the jam. That is where the volume goes away and comes back. George Martin wasn't just playing with the volume, he was cutting out most of the adlibbed part of the song. Ringo's fingers were hurting after all of that, hence the "I've got blisters on my fingers." The Beatles version is the hardest one and the best one. My favorite cover is by Pat Benatar. Yes, it IS a metal song. It is metal before metal was even around yet. Saying that it isn't metal is like saying the Model T Ford isn't car because it came before cars as we know them. What is your definition of heavy metal?
It WAS Ringo....who mentioned it in a couple of interviews.
It's Ringo... " I've got blisters on my fingers"...
The last one really sounded like the "neighbours garageband" that wanted to play more than they were capable of.
Mal Evans was their road manager, not a guest artist. And that is Ripngo at the end.
Definitely Ringo.
Helter Skelter. In my opinion the first heavy metal song ever.
This is one of the first Beatles songs I learned to play after getting a guitar. Those descending riffs are constructed so that they're very easy to play, using the open strings. Pat Benatar did a good cover of this song on her third album, Precious Time.
McCartney wrote it in October 1967, at the end of the Summer of Love when everyone else was singing about going to San Francisco with flowers in their hair. This was long before Zepplin, Yardbirds or anyone did something similar. Metalheads just can't accept that McCartney is the founding father of their cult.
More originals and their covers?
'Black Magic Woman' by Fleetwood Mac, the original, and the cover by Santana. This pretty much put Santana on the superstar map.
I'm not a Paul McCartney fan by any measure, but I've always thought that this is his best performance with the Beatles. The whole song is beautifully done (one of their best) and I've often wondered why Paul never repeated this fabulous use of his voice. But I'm not a huge fan, so I've possibly missed something. I'm happy to be corrected, by the way. PS: that was a great rendition by U2. I'm not a fan of theirs either.
How appropriate that you said it's been a long, long time since you heard the whole song since the next song on the album is Harrison's "Long, Long, Long" with the lyrics "It's been a long, long time..."
Proto metal and proto punk in one?
Mal Evans was the Beatles road manager and friend. He wasn’t a musician but he did appear on this and a few other tunes.
Love these videos where doug also throws in cover versions for comparisons. Excellent stuff - thanks
Doug, I can literally hear and recognize the sound of red rocks. Seen many shows there. Those rocks reflect an awesome ambiance for rock music!!!!
So jealous. Been to Red Rocks only as a tourist, never as a concert goer. It's a holy grail venue for me.
@@Madmarshaplenty of shows left this season, make it happen!!
When the volume goes down and then back again, 27 minutes were passed during the recording. 27 minutes of pure caos. A crazy recording session with George Harrison running around the studio with a cigarette ashtray on his head. That’s why Ringo at the end screams about blisters. I wish I’d listen to the full length version!
exactly! i went to clear this stuff up for him, but you did. thanks!
@@jimackerman5496 I really wish that it will be released some time in the future. I would really like ear the full length. I wish the same with Carnival of Light.
There actually is a huge debate on who is playing bass on the song. The common belief was John until some more recent practice recordings came out on the album re-release
"I got blisters on my fingers!!" I always thought it was John.
When I was younger, I thought the same😊
It was Ringo at the end.. he got bloody blisters on his fingers from all the takes.
Always been my opinion, Helter Skelter, first heavy metal song, period...
Always thought that was Lennon yelling about blisters but was corrected that it was indeed Ringo.
This song, and most of the White Album, has been on my regular playlist going on 55 years now. And still listening to it on the regular.
Here's a short clip of Paul playing Helter Skelter acoustically in the studio.
Then there is the Anthology 3 version (4m 38s) and the First Version Take 2 (12m 53s), which aren't the heavy rock/heavy metal style.
And there was a 27 minute take of the heavy rock/heavy metal version that hasn't been released.
The song was originally 23 minutes long. So long was the jam at the end, and you can understand why Ringo had blisters on his fingers after playing it. To make it fit on the White Album, they had to edit it somehow, and that's why that fake fadeout.
The Anthology 3 version is slow, brooding, scary - actually the first version of it I've heard. I love it
Don't forget the almost 13-minute version on the 2018 white album remix box set.
The Beatles said that this song title was the name of an amusement ride.
Hendrix and Cream on one side and Zeppelin and Sabbath on the other. The Beatles knew how to hit a nail on the head. Ringo yelling after twenty some takes
I was around to hear the Beatles and the biggest question with every new album was "What will they do this time?". They didn't do the same old thing like a lot of bands but invented new genres for themselves and others.
The birth of heavy metal.
Siouxsie and the Banshees is a band with a very interesting evolution. Their album Juju is wonderful. They even used strings arrangements on some songs.
Paul played lead and rhythm guitar,George played lead,rhythm and slide guitar while John played 6 string bass and piano while Ringo played drums
Doug, you really need to check out some original Banshees - you'll be dumbstruck. Spellbound or Happy House maybe - the birth of goth without being goth and their use of chords are off the charts
Kiss Them For Me!
When I got into Rock'n'Roll, the Beatles had already split up and I could listen to all their albums in no chronological order... this time I knew why they were the best.
and they invented doom metal with I Want You (She's So Heavy) (last 4 minutes of it).
First Real Metal Song Ever! Of course, that musical genre wasn't a thing yet, but the term was from Stephenwolf's Born to be Wild which came out earlier that same year. At that time they would call it Heavy/Hard Rock or Acid Rock!
Probably among the Beatles heaviest. But not even the heaviest song of 1968.
@@dtchinacat3973 early heavy song but heavy acid rock goes back a few more years.
The reaction to hearing the Banshees version is incredible! John McKay is maybe one of the greatest genre changing guitarists, unfortunately no one remembers of him.
Totally agree and don’t forget John McGeoch after him!
They cut some ten fifteen minutes of mayhem. That’s why it comes back and we hear the very end where Ringo shouts that he has got blisters from heavy drumming.
I grew up hearing the U2 version long before I ever started listening to the Beatles, so it's very cool to see it appear here alongside the original!
Pete Townshend said that I Can See For Miles was the loudest song yet recorded. Paul said "bollocks to that" and this is the result. Yes, wimpy Silly Love Songs Paul wrote this.
Paul also wrote Why Don't We Do It in the Road and Monkberry Moon Delight. He can do anything.
Helter Skelter from one hand and Eleanor Rigby, For No One and She's Leaving Home from the other.....
You could also hear a bit of "Martha My Dear" in what you played.
Fascinating. Thanks.
In both the U2 and Motley Crue versions, the bassist just plays root notes while the guitarist plays the descending Mixolydian riffs alone, whereas in the original Lennon’s bass shadows McCartney’s guitar. That guitar/bass unison in octaves is part of the riff’s secret sauce, and the covers are a little poorer for its absence, in my opinion.
Helter Skelter is Soo great ❤ It doesn't matter who jam's it because it's great in all genres😊 Love your reaction and your channel 😅 Great job😊 God Bless you and yours 🙏 Side note: My favorite version is Beatles and Motley Crue ❤ Love it🎉 YOU ROCK 😅
The blisters are Ringo's beyond any shadow of doubt.
The original song in Paul's mind was almost acoustic.. there is the video of Paul in the background playing around with it himself
It's Ringo who says "I've got blisters on my fingers". The child slide was at Brighton Beach. Don't try to read too much into it.
It’s Ringo, and Mal Evans was their roadie.
I too was introduced to Helter Skelter by the U2 cover and I frankly can't really pick which one I like the most.