George Martin was a genius. Talk about the perfect blend of orchestra and Rock and Roll. It always worked. No doubt the fifth Beatle. He earned that title.
He was the best. One of the two dumbest myths about the Beatles are that Ringo just got lucky. He was brilliant. Songs like this one and "Strawberry Fields Forever" would have been such a mess without Ringo. And then if you add his cool parts and fills, he was totally rad.
@@jkf9167: I couldn't imagine beastly drummers like Moon or Bonham playing on any Beatles tracks. Though I'm sure they would've been perfectly adequate for some of them, there are others that they just weren't sensitive enough to have played to the song like Ringo. Ritchie was a versatile artist that could, (and, in fact, did) play in any genre. He was a songwriter´s/producer´s dream drummer.
@@jaelge when the music would start to get weird, RIngo would buckle into a really assertive rock beat that would hold it all together, but it would still have that sensitivity and that swing. Most of that 60s generation of rock players didn't have the insight and experience to know that you could take a simple backbeat anywhere if you just listened closely enough.
Yeah it's brilliant, really honing in on the 7ths and there's a good deal of chromatic swirls from the strings and that striking middle section that George M totally saves by a combination of safari music from the violins and another chromatic effect by the cellos and violas of a record "speeding up", its sheer trickery and very effective. When it comes back towards the chorus it breaks into staccato, reminiscent of Strawberry Fields (those cellos again!). Just a great bag of tricks used where most effective, he should be taught in music schools because here is real-world successful composing and scoring.
Dallas Brubaker I catch myself hating things about me. Specially when I was younger. I hated my voice my hair.... even if other people liked it. Always trying to prove something they call that these days, extra . now I don’t give a shite.
People overlook another aspect of drumming. Creative playing/writing while keeping it appealing to the general listener. He was the master. He also was the Beatles click track according to Paul. First rule of drumming... keep time. He did so well.
I've been drumming for twenty years now and I notice every time I play drum fills there's a good amount of Ringo's swing in there. It's just feels so good!
@@Churd84538: You could set a clock by Ringp´s absolutely perfect timing. He also had the most casual sounding but creative drum fills and embellishments you could ever hope to hear. What can anyone say, except that Ringo was the best?
There won't be any music band that will be better than the Beatles, who consist of musical geniuses. I am musically pretty talented, I can compuse beautiful music, but no way I can beat Paul McCartney, John Lennon or George Martin (rightfully called the 5th Beatle).
During the summer of 1967, a couple of my friends and I were playing Beatle's records. One of my friends said, "I really love the drumming by Ringo. It feels like he's driving the song." He then said it just made you want to listen to the song even more, and then play it again and again. And again and again, it has been that I still keep listening to the Beatles now and forever.
@@israelrico5076 Pink Floyd was so damn influenced by The Beatles in fact The Abbey Road Medley influenced Pink Floyd to do that thing where each songs segues into another song afterwards lol
''the way he gets inside Johns head and transcribes it'' Exactly. The Beatles often had these beautiful melodies, ideas and themes in their head, but since they didn't know theory, they couldn't really transcribe these into an orchestral arrangement. That's where the brilliant George Martin came in. He realised the Beatles' genius.
just a genius part of the orchestra made by George Martin, the fifth Beatles without a doubt. continue with the work this is perfect the sound quality i'm from São Paulo Brazil and follow your channel directly.
I always considered this song to be Ringo´s and George Martin´s (orchestral arrangement). They´re the two things that have always stood out to me in this song.
@@JoaoGabriel-lk9cv: What about it? Lennon´s vocal quality never particularly impressed me other than finding it unique and interesting in a handful of songs, and most of that was due to his demanding the engineers use a lot of compressions and effects on it because he didn't like the sound of his own voice. But his range was severely limited and he lacked diversity. Not his fault, a voice is a physical attribute and you have to work with what you have.
@@jaelge what about it? John’s vocals and lyrics made the song. Try to put those compressions and effects on an average singer and see if the result is good.
No Ringo would be no Beatles without his AMAZING drumming. Deconstructing Beatle songs shows the immense talent that these four young men had. I firmly believe that history will come full circle on giving Mr. Starkey his proper due....
EVERYTHING - the sliding cellos, the horns, the strings going up from the lower register in the beginning heading up to English Garden where the full orchestra is there. It TRULY makes this a psychedelic masterpiece along with John's vocal and lyric AND the ending with the walrus sounding horn. As usual, ahead of their time.
John received a letter from a student at Quarry Bank High School which informed him that their professor was making his class analyse Beatles' lyrics. So John intentionally made the most confusing lyrics he could. Hence, the complete jibberish of this song! "Let the f**kers work that one out!" -J. Lennon
I cannot believe how perfect and beautiful this is. The orchestral part at the end feels like a mathematical universe. Every time I catch this video, I hear LOTS of things I've never heard before. I'm just Astounded, man.
This is honestly my #1 favorite Beatles song. It’s so whimsical nonsensical fun, and funky. I taught myself to play every part of this song except for the drums in high school.
It's interesting that you hear it as whimsical, fun. I can certainly hear that, but it always struck me as a dark forboding song, kind of scary sounding.
@@jamescastelli Jamerson went direct. Paul was miking an amp. The tightness and clarity are always much better "direct" (Direct Inject Box) But the bass sits in the track very well! The electric piano is the "glue" for me in this song with it's distortion, compression and ADT. Wow!! With all of the bouncing, doubling ADT effects and orchestral and choir arrangements and performance it is in fact a masterpiece! And the tracks hold up 50+ years later!! > When you walked out of the Record Store with THAT album you really had something special!!!
Interesting that you say that (and I agree). A year earlier, Martin wrote the score for the string section on "Eleanor Rigby", which was deliberately intended to have a "Pyscho" vibe.
@@johnhoward9210 when I was a kid these scores for Eleanor Rigby and especially Walrus chilled me to the bone. They became the Scary Beatles. Lennon's song had a frightening red pill quality to it.
I really enjoy listening to George Martin's incredible orchestrations. They reached incredible heights in their psychedelic period...it's my favorite era.
what did george composed here, is probably better than anything that lennon or mccartney wrote, think about also the piano solo in In My Life, or the strings on eleanor rigby, a creative genius
@@IgnacioClerici-mp5cy No. George Martin never wrote anything better than L&Mc, or GH for that matter. He complemented them, contributed and added to their sound, but they are the source.
@@IgnacioClerici-mp5cy George Martin is a Genius! But according to Paul McCartney, it was John Lennon who sang the orchestral arrangement for Walrus to George Martin. I’m sure George elaborated but still it was not his original idea
@@chrismanjaro6229 yes he did, the kind of complexity and musical inteligence of this arrangment and the piano of In My Life are things only a creative and knowledgeable person can do, the beatles melodies are basic compared to that, Lennon or macartney couldn't have written anything like that simply because they didnt have the knowdledge, im sure if the had it they could have done it, because they had the talent and creativity, George Martin could compose string quartet, which is much more complex, profound and sensible than a song, any rock song, the beatles couldn't write a string quartet or a symphony or a piano sonata, but Martin could write a song if he wanted to
I had never heard the orchestra part separately. It's a fun and dizzying psychedelic musical trip to hear those cello, violin and horn arrangements. George Martin is a genius.
Ringo's first entry is unmistakeable. And those cellos just stab you right through the heart. Kudos to unsung heroes Lionel Ross, Eldon Fox, Bram Martin, and Terry Weil.
The orchestra section is incredible. What would The Beatles have been without George M, who was always dressed for the office while around the hairstyles grew more unkempt.
Wondering if George M. was dabbling in psychedelics now? It is incredible. It make the song the incredible piece that it is. Musical depth. Incredible score.
@@allenf.5907 Paul tells the story of The Lads having to sneak off away from George Martin like schools boys hiding from their school master when it came to smoking herb or other things. I seriously doubt George M. partook.
Wow! This is incredible. Listening to the orchestra arrangement in isolation is a revelation. I’d always thought that it was mixed too low. I’m tempted to rip this and do some ferkling in Audition...
When Lennon presented this song to the group and George Martin (after declaring that it was going to be their next single), they all hated it. It was just him on an acoustic guitar and singing. Martin in particular was completely dismissive of it, and said it would be impossible to actually make a record of it. The words were nonsense and there was no melody to speak of. Lennon insisted, so Martin said he'd do his best to work up an arrangement that would add some musical interest to it. And he came up with that amazing orchestral arrangement, which in many ways really makes the song. Interesting how diligently he worked to prove himself wrong in his assessment of the song. Having said all that, there's still something intrinsically catchy about the actual song. It really shouldn't work, but for some reason it does. When I was little I just absolutely loved this song. I think it was a combination of the absurdity of the words (which I have since learned would seem less absurd to Englishmen given that they reference some popular children's songs) and the melody that just seemed stuck on those two notes before finally getting set free in the chorus.
@Bill Badford People can use different words to say the same thing, and well-respected people like George Martin or the Beatles tend to get particularly diplomatic in public settings. "Hated" was my characterization of the scene that Emerick described. But yes, I would agree that the lack of enthusiasm for the I Am the Walrus demo was significantly less than that for Revolution 9. It was more no-one seeing any merit in it than displaying active hostility. But still, they only moved forward with it because it was John's. Had it come from George, it would never have been spoken of again.
These videos / tracks are like drugs to the addict! Keep them coming. The more you listen, the more you want. It is amazing how the magic worked, even when broken into relatively simple parts!
The genius of this song is that it sounds as if it's in an "angry minor key". Yet every chord is a major chord of a white key on the piano, and its root key can't really be ascertained as it seems to be constantly changing. I can't think of any other song like this one harmonically or otherwise.
This song was John at his creative best. Similar to Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, John plays with the chords like a child playing in the sand yet produces a complicated, swirling, stunning piece of music. He had a great gift.
The song is in a major key and it only changes key once - 'sitting in an english garden waiting for the sun" - This middle 8 section is actually the intro of the song, but one full step up. It resolves back to the home key with "if the sun don't come you'll catch a tan from standing in the english rain" - this section is actually the 3rd leg of the verse. In the key of C, this is an abrupt move from G# to D. When Lennon uses it in the 3rd leg of each verse, it doesn't product a key change. But true to Lennon's ingenuity (and love of double entendres: think please please me) he uses the ambidextrous chord change to produce an exit from the key of D (at the end of the middle 8) - the reason why its a key change here and its not in the verses is because the middle 8 section which is born from an intermission comes in a launch pad of D. Whether the listener realizes this consciously or not doesn't matter, the subconscious detects it. Martin's string arrangement during this G# to D extensively softens that jagged jump and makes it sound natural as a circle of fifths. Anyway, it's important to understand that the song does reside squarely in one key; it just makes use of the derivative chords (modes): A# (flat 7), D# (flat 3), G#(flat 6) quite often. Many of Beatles songs use these chords but Walrus uses them all often.
exactly....there is no song that even with the passage of halfa century sounds like this...in terms of original concept this could be the fabs' masterpiece...
@@WorldInANutshell zzzzzzzzzzz Sorry mate.. I love the Beatles as much as the next, I am also a musician.. This comment is just too much... Have a great day..
Like hearing it again for the first time. The term "genius" gets thrown around so easily these days, but the collaboration and creativity here are still stunning some 53 years later.
It would be a bloody shame if we never get an album consisting exclusively of the Beatles' orchestral arrangements (all by Sir George Martin, I believe, with the exception of "She's Leaving Home" and those on the "Let It Be" album). Martin deserves being recognized even more. We, as fans, deserve these tracks 😊😊
GM did do the song Let It Be. That wasn't a Spector job - GM recorded the arrangement in early-mid '69 for the single that didn't end up getting released for a year. Also, the album version of Let It Be is by far the best, *because* of what Spector did do, which was use George's new solo from January '70, reuse it in the outro as well as the stabs in the last verse, and add Ringo's new beat with the tom rolls in the last verse.
Orchestral arrangement from She's Leaving Home weren't George Martin's, were Mike Leander's instead. Unlike this song, Let It Be (album version, which was Phil Spector's, as already noted), and The Long and Winding Road, all the rest of the songs orchestral arrangements were Martin's, like Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, Within You Without You (the non-Indian music arrangement parts), A Day in the Life, Hey Jude, Glass Onion, Piggies Mother Nature's Song, Martha My Dear, Honey Pie, Savoy Truffle, Good Night, etc etc.
I love this song so much. It is the weirdness of John's lyrics and electric piano, the very groovy bass of Paul, the precision of George's guitar, the very cool Ringo (American Indian) drums and British style snare, and George Martin's brilliant direction of an orchestra. Everything you want!!!
After hearing all of these parts, I am struck with my original thought of this song. WOW!!!!!!! I wish there was a louder take of the guitars though. They really chug in this song. I will say I hear more orchestration hearing the string section by itself than I heard before. THANK YOU for posting this. How fantastic. The orchestral section could live on by itself as a powerful piece of music.
By way of requests ------ Any songs that the stereo lps of the time cheatingly gave that awful **altered mono** treatment to. This was done, as you recall, by even the biggest record companies to even the biggest artists. *Watta rook*!
Definitely in the top 5 beatles songs ever...50 plus years later I am the Walrus is staggering in its originality ....a few years ago I had a 19 yr old photo copier temp worker in my office who would always play the radio while she worked...one afternoon I came back late from lunch and she was sitting in front of the photocopier with the most stunned confused expression on her face....the radio was playing I am the Walrus and it was the first time she had ever heard it....It was clear that with just one listening to this one beatles song that her brain was never going to be the same...just like I dont think mine was ever the same after when i heard it the first time at age 5 in 1967 when my older brothers played it on a record player the size of a coffin...this is pure magical stuff
Such a zany, crazy tune. The orchestral arrangements are truly inspired. Genius level stuff. And I love Lennon's vocal. One of the most unique voices of the century.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! SORRY FOR THE CAPS! But these are epically great! Ringo had such great swing! George Martin's strings. The tape effects on the vocals. A master class in multi-tracking. Can I just keep upvoting this? Deservedly legends.
" I heard the news today, .Oh Boy, about a lucky man who made the Grade ! " George M. you certainly made the grade on this fine piece. It's as much yours as it was John's .
15:03 the understated yet powerful and gritty tone on the “semolina pilchard climbing up the eiffel tower” line is amazing isolated. a testament of how good lennon was vocally.
![The Beatles - I Am The Walrus (Music Video) [Sound Fixed]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D-5TiaYBij4/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Beatles - I Am The Walrus (Music Video) [Sound Fixed]](/img/tr.png)
Who else is addicted to these "Deconstructing Beatles" videos? Man, thank you so much for these videos, they are music classes!
They're certainly better than the tutorials because you can hear what they play.
@@Ms_Drake Exactly! It is such a trip
Yep!!!
Me I know I am
Who the hell wouldn't be?
George Martin was a genius. Talk about the perfect blend of orchestra and Rock and Roll. It always worked. No doubt the fifth Beatle. He earned that title.
I thought the fifth Beatle was that Volkswagen on the Abbey Road album cover !
The tight drums and bass on this track are mostly Geoff Emerick's work.
thank goodness for george martin! what a talented genius he was.
George Martin was a genius as was Brian Epstein but I always thought the fifth Beatle was Billy Preston . Loved listening to this .
Totally agree, what such arrangments ! Wow
The orchestral arrangement is incredible. It sounds Psychedelic, Indian, played with the confidence of a British Naval anthem.
Ringo never ceases to impress me. Nothing ever out of place.
He was the best. One of the two dumbest myths about the Beatles are that Ringo just got lucky. He was brilliant. Songs like this one and "Strawberry Fields Forever" would have been such a mess without Ringo. And then if you add his cool parts and fills, he was totally rad.
@@jkf9167:
I couldn't imagine beastly drummers like Moon or Bonham playing on any Beatles tracks. Though I'm sure they would've been perfectly adequate for some of them, there are others that they just weren't sensitive enough to have played to the song like Ringo. Ritchie was a versatile artist that could, (and, in fact, did) play in any genre. He was a songwriter´s/producer´s dream drummer.
@@jaelge when the music would start to get weird, RIngo would buckle into a really assertive rock beat that would hold it all together, but it would still have that sensitivity and that swing. Most of that 60s generation of rock players didn't have the insight and experience to know that you could take a simple backbeat anywhere if you just listened closely enough.
@@jkf9167 so what’s the other dumbest myth for you? Paul is dead?
Totally agree about Ringo, BTW!
@@polytheneprentiss1534 Yoko broke up the Beatles.
the orchestral arrangement is so expressive it could be released as a track on its own
yes
Yeah it's brilliant, really honing in on the 7ths and there's a good deal of chromatic swirls from the strings and that striking middle section that George M totally saves by a combination of safari music from the violins and another chromatic effect by the cellos and violas of a record "speeding up", its sheer trickery and very effective. When it comes back towards the chorus it breaks into staccato, reminiscent of Strawberry Fields (those cellos again!). Just a great bag of tricks used where most effective, he should be taught in music schools because here is real-world successful composing and scoring.
@@ewetoo wow
Paul said John sang the orchestral parts to George Martin
@@robertdabler6349 Right?!
Give me another band that has ever gone from a “Love Me Do” to a “I am the Walrus”. And all within only about 5 years!
KMFDM
XTC
Living in an age of Dylan and psychedelic drugs helps...
The Clash. Not exactly, but in terms of sophistication.
in five seconds ringo time
The orchestral section in this song is just outstanding! Sir George was an absolute genius!
Listening to John Lennon’s voice is like listening to Hendrix ‘s guitar I don’t know why every move they made was Royal.
john lennon in this song stands out
Cause John is the best Rock singer of all Time!!! Every time he stepped on the mic it was Gold. Can’t say that for almost any other singer
@@hw343434 I second that he could do whatever he wanted with his voice too bad he's lost interest later on
@@hw343434 and yet he hated the sound of his own voice
Dallas Brubaker I catch myself hating things about me. Specially when I was younger. I hated my voice my hair.... even if other people liked it. Always trying to prove something they call that these days, extra . now I don’t give a shite.
Ringo! The swing in his drumming is just mesmerising. No one else like him.
People overlook another aspect of drumming. Creative playing/writing while keeping it appealing to the general listener. He was the master. He also was the Beatles click track according to Paul. First rule of drumming... keep time. He did so well.
So simple and yet so powerful... a master in disguise
I've been drumming for twenty years now and I notice every time I play drum fills there's a good amount of Ringo's swing in there. It's just feels so good!
Ringo never rushed through fills - listen to the snare fills - swinging but never rushed
@@Churd84538:
You could set a clock by Ringp´s absolutely perfect timing. He also had the most casual sounding but creative drum fills and embellishments you could ever hope to hear. What can anyone say, except that Ringo was the best?
Orchestral arrangement is impeccable, George Martin, pure unadulterated genius.
The orchestra track is a masterpiece by itself.
You're not kidding!
Surely the greatest piece of music of the twentieth century.
Easily the greatest piece of music ever.
This and Day In The Life are probably my top 2 Beatles tunes.
Here, here!
Surrealism in music does not get any better than this, a capital M Masterpiece.
17:31 Oh my God those brass and strings playing in armony, so f... good.
Five Geniuses at the top of their game!
There won't be any music band that will be better than the Beatles, who consist of musical geniuses. I am musically pretty talented, I can compuse beautiful music, but no way I can beat Paul McCartney, John Lennon or George Martin (rightfully called the 5th Beatle).
Ringo just doesn't get enough credit for being a brilliant drummer, you know it's him, he has his sound and it always works
During the summer of 1967, a couple of my friends and I were playing Beatle's records. One of my friends said, "I really love the drumming by Ringo. It feels like he's driving the song." He then said it just made you want to listen to the song even more, and then play it again and again. And again and again, it has been that I still keep listening to the Beatles now and forever.
@@dog1net Aye I know what you mean
@@LJarvo I love his drumming on Penny Lane... so simple but perfect
That drum sound reminds me of Pink Floyd's DSOTM...LIKE THE SAME DRUM SOUND!....EPIC
@@israelrico5076 Pink Floyd was so damn influenced by The Beatles in fact The Abbey Road Medley influenced Pink Floyd to do that thing where each songs segues into another song afterwards lol
What a score from GM, I love the way he gets inside Johns head and transcribes it, remarkable.
''the way he gets inside Johns head and transcribes it'' Exactly. The Beatles often had these beautiful melodies, ideas and themes in their head, but since they didn't know theory, they couldn't really transcribe these into an orchestral arrangement. That's where the brilliant George Martin came in. He realised the Beatles' genius.
just a genius part of the orchestra made by George Martin, the fifth Beatles without a doubt. continue with the work this is perfect the sound quality i'm from São Paulo Brazil and follow your channel directly.
Oww thank, grettings from argentina, yes, youre right george martin, the fifth beatles without a doubt
@@DLD2Music didn't u know.
That part was John’s idea, according to Paul, John SANG the string parts to direct George Martin
4 Beatles one producer all it was
@@DLD2Music argento y beatlero papa
The orchestral,part is amazing isolated. So is Johns voice again those little inflections
I always considered this song to be Ringo´s and George Martin´s (orchestral arrangement). They´re the two things that have always stood out to me in this song.
Orchestra is a independent piece alone.
@@jaelgewhat about John’s voice?
@@JoaoGabriel-lk9cv:
What about it? Lennon´s vocal quality never particularly impressed me other than finding it unique and interesting in a handful of songs, and most of that was due to his demanding the engineers use a lot of compressions and effects on it because he didn't like the sound of his own voice. But his range was severely limited and he lacked diversity. Not his fault, a voice is a physical attribute and you have to work with what you have.
@@jaelge what about it? John’s vocals and lyrics made the song. Try to put those compressions and effects on an average singer and see if the result is good.
I never really appreciated how brilliant the string arrangement is on this until now.
No Ringo would be no Beatles without his AMAZING drumming. Deconstructing Beatle songs shows the immense talent that these four young men had. I firmly believe that history will come full circle on giving Mr. Starkey his proper due....
The orchestral work here by George Martin is otherworldly. Amazing. Thank you so much for this
Masterpiece.... one of the greatest songs of all Time
I get chills listening to the vocal and orchestra tracks
Masterpiece. From writing, arranging to recording. The orchestral arrangement is astounding.
18:31 man that soud, incredible
Wow, even after all these years I never realised how much work went into the Orchestra, far more than I thought. Real eye opener :)
What a f... brilliant orchestral arrangement !!! It's a masterpiece on its own !
EVERYTHING - the sliding cellos, the horns, the strings going up from the lower register in the beginning heading up to English Garden where the full orchestra is there. It TRULY makes this a psychedelic masterpiece along with John's vocal and lyric AND the ending with the walrus sounding horn. As usual, ahead of their time.
Roy Wood & Jeff Lynne heard this in 67 and went, 'OK then'.
10538 Overture by ELO took I Am The Walrus to another Avenue for sure.
What a masterpiece...the art of music
Ringo was incredible...human time keeper fantastic fills!
Ringo’s hi hat work is vastly underrated, it’s a living thing in its own right.
Horns and strings are from another planet! Amazing arrangement.
Without a doubt the most worked GM arrangement. Mindblowing
John received a letter from a student at Quarry Bank High School which informed him that their professor was making his class analyse Beatles' lyrics. So John intentionally made the most confusing lyrics he could. Hence, the complete jibberish of this song!
"Let the f**kers work that one out!" -J. Lennon
and yet if you take several hits of a joint it makes perfect sense.
I cannot believe how perfect and beautiful this is.
The orchestral part at the end feels like a mathematical universe.
Every time I catch this video, I hear LOTS of things I've never heard before.
I'm just Astounded, man.
This is honestly my #1 favorite Beatles song. It’s so whimsical nonsensical fun, and funky. I taught myself to play every part of this song except for the drums in high school.
This song is why I picked up the guitar.
It's interesting that you hear it as whimsical, fun. I can certainly hear that, but it always struck me as a dark forboding song, kind of scary sounding.
@@louisxiiii i feel like it’s whimsical in an Alice in Wonderland kind of way if that makes sense
@@louisxiiii Kinda scared me as a young kid. LOVE it now!
Paul’s bass sounds really Motown-y on this track. Like James Jamerson is playing or something. Super creative and grooving
Paul was a great lover of James Jameson so yes the link is there.
@@chezzer58 Yeah it sounds great. Paul’s a fantastic bass player in his own right. I love the percussive quality to his playing here.
Why does it sound so quiet, muted and, I dunno, like they recorded from behind a door?
@@jamescastelli Jamerson went direct. Paul was miking an amp. The tightness and clarity are always much better "direct" (Direct Inject Box) But the bass sits in the track very well! The electric piano is the "glue" for me in this song with it's distortion, compression and ADT. Wow!! With all of the bouncing, doubling ADT effects and orchestral and choir arrangements and performance it is in fact a masterpiece! And the tracks hold up 50+ years later!! > When you walked out of the Record Store with THAT album you really had something special!!!
@@chezzer58 James Jameson was a great bass player! Love him and Paul.
Dealing with a whole Orchestra....Impossible, incredible work and genius of all of them...Thank you, George..!!!!!!
The orchestra is very interesting to listen to. Wow! So dynamic. I thought it sounded like the score to a Hitchcock thriller.
Interesting that you say that (and I agree). A year earlier, Martin wrote the score for the string section on "Eleanor Rigby", which was deliberately intended to have a "Pyscho" vibe.
@@johnhoward9210 when I was a kid these scores for Eleanor Rigby and especially Walrus chilled me to the bone. They became the Scary Beatles. Lennon's song had a frightening red pill quality to it.
I can't get over how good the drums sound!
George Martin really knew how to reinforce the overall feel of a song. His orchestration in Walrus is so unsettling and just perfect! 😎👍🏼
Ringo’s drums are excellent! He “ paints “ with each stroke to the drums !
I really enjoy listening to George Martin's incredible orchestrations.
They reached incredible heights in their psychedelic period...it's my favorite era.
what did george composed here, is probably better than anything that lennon or mccartney wrote, think about also the piano solo in In My Life, or the strings on eleanor rigby, a creative genius
@@IgnacioClerici-mp5cy No. George Martin never wrote anything better than L&Mc, or GH for that matter. He complemented them, contributed and added to their sound, but they are the source.
@@IgnacioClerici-mp5cy George Martin is a Genius! But according to Paul McCartney, it was John Lennon who sang the orchestral arrangement for Walrus to George Martin. I’m sure George elaborated but still it was not his original idea
@@hw343434 When it comes to the Beatles and George Martin, it's the old story of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.
@@chrismanjaro6229 yes he did, the kind of complexity and musical inteligence of this arrangment and the piano of In My Life are things only a creative and knowledgeable person can do, the beatles melodies are basic compared to that, Lennon or macartney couldn't have written anything like that simply because they didnt have the knowdledge, im sure if the had it they could have done it, because they had the talent and creativity,
George Martin could compose string quartet, which is much more complex, profound and sensible than a song, any rock song, the beatles couldn't write a string quartet or a symphony or a piano sonata, but Martin could write a song if he wanted to
Ringo's drumming is excellent!
Yours wasn't too shabby.
Paul and Ringo locked in tight groove
Let’s just take a minute to appreciate the electric piano.
The lower notes are so weird and brilliant. The chord voicings too.
@@rusmiller816 That's because they fed the electric piano LSD before the session.
It's such a great texture isn't it, it's haunted me all my life, and I'm certain it influenced a lot of 70's music.
John. The second third and fourth chords are deceptive. Brilliant.
How does it sound like that?! And the electric piano in this song is absolutely beautiful, so is the orchestra!!
I had never heard the orchestra part separately. It's a fun and dizzying psychedelic musical trip to hear those cello, violin and horn arrangements. George Martin is a genius.
Ringo's first entry is unmistakeable. And those cellos just stab you right through the heart. Kudos to unsung heroes Lionel Ross, Eldon Fox, Bram Martin, and Terry Weil.
That Fairchild compression on John's voice is butter.
And the drums too. The crashes are sublime because of it.
Sounds like the lead vocal was sped up a little, too.
The orchestra section is incredible. What would The Beatles have been without George M, who was always dressed for the office while around the hairstyles grew more unkempt.
Hahahahaa youre right
They still would have been The Beatles, as in the most profound artistic moment of the 60s but they would have been lesser no doubt
Wondering if George M. was dabbling in psychedelics now? It is incredible. It make the song the incredible piece that it is. Musical depth. Incredible score.
@@allenf.5907 Paul tells the story of The Lads having to sneak off away from George Martin like schools boys hiding from their school master when it came to smoking herb or other things. I seriously doubt George M. partook.
@@allenf.5907 George Martin admitted he was blissfully unaware of their chemical experiments,
A masterpiece. It was my favourite Beatles track since the 60s.
The string buildup at the end is just pure genius.
Wow, really amazing, especially the Orchestra! I have never heard these details, thanks for your effort!
Youre welcome 😎
That's what made the song work imop
Wow! This is incredible. Listening to the orchestra arrangement in isolation is a revelation. I’d always thought that it was mixed too low. I’m tempted to rip this and do some ferkling in Audition...
14:55 "See how they smile like pigs in a sty, see how they snide"
I had never actually heard the pig noise until this video lmao wow
All of this is why it’s my favorite Beatles song.
When Lennon presented this song to the group and George Martin (after declaring that it was going to be their next single), they all hated it. It was just him on an acoustic guitar and singing. Martin in particular was completely dismissive of it, and said it would be impossible to actually make a record of it. The words were nonsense and there was no melody to speak of. Lennon insisted, so Martin said he'd do his best to work up an arrangement that would add some musical interest to it. And he came up with that amazing orchestral arrangement, which in many ways really makes the song. Interesting how diligently he worked to prove himself wrong in his assessment of the song. Having said all that, there's still something intrinsically catchy about the actual song. It really shouldn't work, but for some reason it does. When I was little I just absolutely loved this song. I think it was a combination of the absurdity of the words (which I have since learned would seem less absurd to Englishmen given that they reference some popular children's songs) and the melody that just seemed stuck on those two notes before finally getting set free in the chorus.
Emerick didn't like it either. But I learned the damned lyrics by heart when I was 6 years old, and GM and GE can bite me! :)
great info. thanks!
where you get that story from? if you wouldn't mind.
@@crucifiedthief It was in Geoff Emerick's book.
@Bill Badford People can use different words to say the same thing, and well-respected people like George Martin or the Beatles tend to get particularly diplomatic in public settings. "Hated" was my characterization of the scene that Emerick described. But yes, I would agree that the lack of enthusiasm for the I Am the Walrus demo was significantly less than that for Revolution 9. It was more no-one seeing any merit in it than displaying active hostility. But still, they only moved forward with it because it was John's. Had it come from George, it would never have been spoken of again.
What a fabulous orchestra score!!!
These videos / tracks are like drugs to the addict! Keep them coming. The more you listen, the more you want. It is amazing how the magic worked, even when broken into relatively simple parts!
Thanksss
Ringo`s work always great.
Paul's bass is already in the wonderful, impressive style of "Dear Prudence", recorded a year later!
Very true.
Because Lennon used a similar bass note progression on keys/guitar.
Dear Prudence is my favorite bass line of all time.
Incredible.. especially John's vocal track...wow
The genius of this song is that it sounds as if it's in an "angry minor key". Yet every chord is a major chord of a white key on the piano, and its root key can't really be ascertained as it seems to be constantly changing. I can't think of any other song like this one harmonically or otherwise.
This song was John at his creative best. Similar to Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, John plays with the chords like a child playing in the sand yet produces a complicated, swirling, stunning piece of music. He had a great gift.
The song is in a major key and it only changes key once - 'sitting in an english garden waiting for the sun" - This middle 8 section is actually the intro of the song, but one full step up. It resolves back to the home key with "if the sun don't come you'll catch a tan from standing in the english rain" - this section is actually the 3rd leg of the verse. In the key of C, this is an abrupt move from G# to D. When Lennon uses it in the 3rd leg of each verse, it doesn't product a key change. But true to Lennon's ingenuity (and love of double entendres: think please please me) he uses the ambidextrous chord change to produce an exit from the key of D (at the end of the middle 8) - the reason why its a key change here and its not in the verses is because the middle 8 section which is born from an intermission comes in a launch pad of D. Whether the listener realizes this consciously or not doesn't matter, the subconscious detects it. Martin's string arrangement during this G# to D extensively softens that jagged jump and makes it sound natural as a circle of fifths. Anyway, it's important to understand that the song does reside squarely in one key; it just makes use of the derivative chords (modes): A# (flat 7), D# (flat 3), G#(flat 6) quite often. Many of Beatles songs use these chords but Walrus uses them all often.
Brilliant analysis! You would definitely think the song was in a minor key and with the chords it uses it should sound happy but it doesn’t
exactly....there is no song that even with the passage of halfa century sounds like this...in terms of original concept this could be the fabs' masterpiece...
@@WorldInANutshell zzzzzzzzzzz Sorry mate.. I love the Beatles as much as the next, I am also a musician.. This comment is just too much... Have a great day..
I always loved how Ringo used his high hat just magical.He’s the best.
Wowo wow wow thanks so much for posting this. Love it to pieces, especially John’s vocals and the orchestra, so complex and quirky 👍😄👍😄👍😄
That was John's best voice period ever!!......
Like hearing it again for the first time. The term "genius" gets thrown around so easily these days, but the collaboration and creativity here are still stunning some 53 years later.
the drums are so soothing. like rhythmic ASMR
The real revelation is Martin's orchestral score. Incredible. It works in it's own right.
in my view, the orchestral work is what's best in this song, along with .. Lennon's vocal work ofc.
Youre right, the orchestral work is very sofisticated
@@DLD2Music Sophisticated. Sorry, but I thought you just might want to know.
Honestly, I love everything about this song **except** John’s vocal 😅
The vocal is the best part
You are so perfect Ringo!
I am just happy beyond description the individual tracks are preserved. Marvelous work.
I love all this - my favorite song by The Beatles - but the orchestra and those divebombing cellos really soar. Amazing.
Yes this wonderful song and love those drums. Amazing way to do each song.just so great and thanks once again.!
I love how you can hear John’s vocal in the background throughout the drum track
It would be a bloody shame if we never get an album consisting exclusively of the Beatles' orchestral arrangements (all by Sir George Martin, I believe, with the exception of "She's Leaving Home" and those on the "Let It Be" album). Martin deserves being recognized even more. We, as fans, deserve these tracks 😊😊
He was knighted.
His arrangement on Yesterday is also brilliant.
@@loosilu I'm Brazilian, so I don't really care or know about his royal status, but I added the "Sir" treatment there 👍🏼
GM did do the song Let It Be. That wasn't a Spector job - GM recorded the arrangement in early-mid '69 for the single that didn't end up getting released for a year. Also, the album version of Let It Be is by far the best, *because* of what Spector did do, which was use George's new solo from January '70, reuse it in the outro as well as the stabs in the last verse, and add Ringo's new beat with the tom rolls in the last verse.
Orchestral arrangement from She's Leaving Home weren't George Martin's, were Mike Leander's instead. Unlike this song, Let It Be (album version, which was Phil Spector's, as already noted), and The Long and Winding Road, all the rest of the songs orchestral arrangements were Martin's, like Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, Within You Without You (the non-Indian music arrangement parts), A Day in the Life, Hey Jude, Glass Onion, Piggies Mother Nature's Song, Martha My Dear, Honey Pie, Savoy Truffle, Good Night, etc etc.
14:53 I freaking love those little giggles
Amazing how Ringo makes the song
Martin working his ass off...genius!
I love this song so much. It is the weirdness of John's lyrics and electric piano, the very groovy bass of Paul, the precision of George's guitar, the very cool Ringo (American Indian) drums and British style snare, and George Martin's brilliant direction of an orchestra. Everything you want!!!
Another Beatles' masterpiece.
Ringo is solid as a rock, never misses a beat and he barely touches the hihat!
A great work and a great effort and service by the poster. Thank you! The world thanks you!
After hearing all of these parts, I am struck with my original thought of this song. WOW!!!!!!! I wish there was a louder take of the guitars though. They really chug in this song. I will say I hear more orchestration hearing the string section by itself than I heard before. THANK YOU for posting this. How fantastic. The orchestral section could live on by itself as a powerful piece of music.
Oompah, oompah, stick it up the oompah. I would have never known but for this deconstruction.
I have a harmless addiction to the Deconstruction Videos! Please, let's have more. Yes!
Any request?
Thanks., TY, I will think about it....."darlin'...." jaja...
By way of requests ------ Any songs that the stereo lps of the time cheatingly gave that awful **altered mono** treatment to.
This was done, as you recall, by even the biggest record companies to even the biggest artists. *Watta rook*!
Definitely in the top 5 beatles songs ever...50 plus years later I am the Walrus is staggering in its originality ....a few years ago I had a 19 yr old photo copier temp worker in my office who would always play the radio while she worked...one afternoon I came back late from lunch and she was sitting in front of the photocopier with the most stunned confused expression on her face....the radio was playing I am the Walrus and it was the first time she had ever heard it....It was clear that with just one listening to this one beatles song that her brain was never going to be the same...just like I dont think mine was ever the same after when i heard it the first time at age 5 in 1967 when my older brothers played it on a record player the size of a coffin...this is pure magical stuff
That is one hell of a groove, too! 😀
Easily the greatest piece of music ever.
ha!
Such a zany, crazy tune. The orchestral arrangements are truly inspired. Genius level stuff. And I love Lennon's vocal. One of the most unique voices of the century.
The Hohner Pianet with the ADT effect sounds almost like the piano from The Logical Song!
THANK YOU SO MUCH! SORRY FOR THE CAPS! But these are epically great! Ringo had such great swing! George Martin's strings. The tape effects on the vocals. A master class in multi-tracking. Can I just keep upvoting this? Deservedly legends.
I never realized how great that vocal take was. Plastic Ono Band vibes, almost.
The isolated orchestral track = god tier
" I heard the news today, .Oh Boy, about a lucky man who made the Grade ! " George M. you certainly made the grade on this fine piece. It's as much yours as it was John's .
read not heard
15:03 the understated yet powerful and gritty tone on the “semolina pilchard climbing up the eiffel tower” line is amazing isolated. a testament of how good lennon was vocally.
Fantastic
The orchestra.... A genius....
The had the orchestra playing riffs. Oh how they must have enjoyed that!
Came hear to hear the bassline Paul mimics in the video. So cool
Ringo's cymbal crashes are sooo fucking good. Listen to them man!!!!