Like many of the greatest
works of art, the Beatles’ hit Penny Lane was at first quite different
from the version we now know.
The archeology of the 1967 hit
has been uncovered by a studio recording that does not feature the trumpet solo
that made it one of the band’s most memorable singles.The evidence — an acetate 45 produced for record label EMI — is being sold at auction in the US on Saturday. It reveals that the iconic fanfare was originally performed on an instrument that sounds more like a kazoo.
It is believed that the band was about to release that version until Paul McCartney watched a BBC broadcast of a Bach concert and heard a solo played on a piccolo trumpet. He then enlisted David Mason, the classical trumpet player, for the recording sessions at Abbey Road studios.
McCartney had written the song about a street in Liverpool in response to John Lennon’s track Strawberry Fields Forever, and the two were released as a double A-side. Penny Lane took three weeks to record, compared with their entire first album taking only one day in the studio.
The potentially unique pressing is being sold by a collector in the US. The single-sided recording has a white label with the song title written on it by Geoff Emerick, the recording engineer. Bidding at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, starts at $US1000 ($1290).
Dean Harmeyer, a music memorabilia specialist, says the Beatles were experimenting with layers of richer, denser sound, having moved into the studio after years of touring. “They now had more time and freedom to craft denser soundscapes, which are quite distinctive from their earlier recordings,” he says. “The sessions for Penny Lane stretched over three weeks, an eternity for a single in those days.
“Over the course of those weeks, the Beatles built layer upon layer of instrumentation which included complex wind and brass arrangements by producer George Martin, and extensive keyboard parts played by Paul McCartney. To our knowledge the complete trumpet-less version has never been heard by the general public. It sounds very similar, yet very different, to the Penny Lane we all know and love.”
The single was released in February 1967. It reached No 2 in Britain, being held off the top spot by Engelbert Humperdinck’s Release Me, but was No 1 in the US, Canada, Germany and Australia.
A version of the song with a longer trumpet solo was sent as an advance release to a small number of American radio stations. It is now worth thousands of dollars.
With many thanks to The Australian
Related posts on The Beatles:
Freda Kelly Recalls Her Days of Working With the Beatles - "Good Ol' Freda"
8th August 1969: The Beatles Waiting To Cross Abbey Road
‘Man on the Run’: New Book About Paul McCartney After The Beatles
Arthur Alexander: The Forgotten Songwriter Who Inspired The Beatles, Bob Dylan And The Rolling Stones
The Art of McCartney Project
Glyn Johns: Defining That Classic-Rock Sound
Fender Stratocaster: A Design Icon At 60
The Traveling Wilburys: Their History
George Harrison and The Bee Gees To Receive Recording Academy Honors
Sir Paul McCartney To Induct Ringo Starr Into Hall Of Fame
'American Pie' Lyrics Sell For $1.2 million In New York
Lost Beatles US Concert Movie Blocked From Release
The Three Lennon-McCartney Hits That Went to No. 1 Without Lennon or McCartney
The Who Release First Song In 8 Years: Be Lucky
Beatles’ First Recording Contract to Be Auctioned For An Estimated $150,000
The Beatles 1 To Be Reissued With 50 Videos
George Harrison's Catalogue Is Now Streaming
John Lennon's Long-Lost Gibson J-160E Guitar Sells for Record $2.4 Million
Ringo Starr Reflects On His 35 Year Marriage
George Harrison: Tribute GeorgeFest Is Coming
John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll Album - Update: Vale Sir George Martin
The Beatles Anthology: Streaming Now.
Unseen Beatles Footage Released
George Harrison Makes Guest Appearance On Eric Clapton's New Album
George Harrison - This is Love
Celebrating The Beatles' Revolver 50 Years On
The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years
The Beatles 'Love' And Cirque du Soleil
Long Lost Live Beatles Exhumed!
Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles; It was 50 years ago today ...
Celebrating George Harrison
The Beatles Anthology: Streaming Now.
Unseen Beatles Footage Released
George Harrison Makes Guest Appearance On Eric Clapton's New Album
George Harrison - This is Love
Celebrating The Beatles' Revolver 50 Years On
The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years
The Beatles 'Love' And Cirque du Soleil
Long Lost Live Beatles Exhumed!
Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles; It was 50 years ago today ...
Celebrating George Harrison