Rocker Reacts: First Time Hearing "In My Life" (The Beatles)

[@wpl8275]

George Martin, the Beatles producer, actually recorded the piano part in the middle: "Martin wrote a Bach-influenced piece that he found he could not play at the song's tempo. On 22 October, the solo was recorded with the tape running at half speed, so when played back at normal pace the piano was twice as fast and an octave higher,"

[@MidnightNotion]

Those tricky producers!

[@markfox6596]

They were truely ground breakers in the studio..

[@robertasirgutz8800]

One of the most beautiful songs ever written.

[@PeterBuwen]

The stereo effect you were recognizing was really happening. 😉 This song was recorded when stereo was brand new and the bands were still experimenting what you could do with it.

[@erikverkoyen8689]

The mixing-desks they used were still mono so they were quite limited in what they could even do with the (limited number of) tracks. And stereo was a bit of an afterthought; the mono-mix was more important.

[@mikewarker4445]

I get jealous of all of you just discovering The Beatles. I went thru that starting in 1964 and have not been the same since. What a great time it was to discover their greatness

[@MidnightNotion]

I’m definitely not “just discovering them,” but it’s definitely exciting to watch someone’s first time hearing a beloved song. I can only imagine what it must have been like when they were brand new. Did you get to see them?

[@mikewarker4445]

@@MidnightNotion nope, tried but wasn’t old enough to go myself and my parents thought the Beatles were too radical. I would gather other kids and after making fake guitars lip sync to their songs. There will Never be anyone like them again. How can I say that? It’s been almost 60 yrs and there’s been no one close yet. Gods gift to a troubled world

[@MsAppassionata]

This is the first of their truly great albums imo. It’s brilliant.

[@labajadaman]

The piano was recorded by the Beatles’ producer George Martin. He recorded it at half speed. Playing it back at normal speed changed the octave, tone, and tempo. It worked perfectly for this song!

[@MidnightNotion]

Those trixy producers! I definitely fell for it! 😆 Wonder what they did live?

[@buddyneher9359]

@@MidnightNotion I don't think they ever played this live. They stopped touring in August 1966 - almost exactly to the day that I'm writing this comment. Fast forward to 2022 - Paul McCartney is still alive and touring. He has brought back some songs from the Beatles catalogue that were never performed live by them because there wasn't the tech. Now there is! He's 80 now.... better go see him while you can 🎶

[@MidnightNotion]

And for my next trick: coughing up enough change to get tickets. 😆 How much does a McCartney show run these days?

[@buddyneher9359]

@@MidnightNotion depends on the venue. For reasonably decent seats you're in for a couple of hundred bucks per ticket. Very much worth it, IMO! (I've seen him a few times. Just missed the Beatles when they were together 😞 but saw George in 1974 and Paul/Wings in 1976. Yep, I'm old ;-)

[@buddhabder]

It's worth going to see Paul and/or Ringo just to be able to tell your grandkids you saw a Beatle play live!

[@rubybaby7320]

One day at work I queued up The Beatles in my headphones. It was six hours before I got a repeat ♥️♥️

[@MidnightNotion]

That’s a long playlist, especially considering how short their songs are. Nice! Did you get much work done, or did you get distracted by jamming out?

[@rubybaby7320]

@@MidnightNotion I was very productive- I was ten when they broke up and it was like going home and growing up all over again. Their early albums include some covers and simple arrangements that people might scoff at today but if they want insight into what people were like back then they won’t pass over the early recordings. Just saying

[@paulcollins7185]

@@MidnightNotion It's generally the early Beatles songs that are short (2 and a half mins) for commercial release and radio play demands, as was for everyone at the time. Once you get into the later 60's the song's become longer, Hey Jude over 7 minutes!! I want you over 8 minutes etc etc.

[@M5guitar1]

Early Beatles were in Mono, stereo was nonexistent or very primitive in the UK as opposed to the US. The early recoding engineers spent little time with stereo mixes as explained by Geoff Emmerick in his book "Here there Everywhere" Songs were limited to under 3 minutes to get radio play.

[@anthonymunn8633]

I remember an interview with Lennon post-Beatles where he talks about hearing the stereo versions for the first time on the red/blue albums and just being horrified by them!

[@berndschuster1547]

What a wonderful song from the Fab Four! Thank you for the good music from Germany!

[@MsAppassionata]

As I mentioned on another one of your reviews, I love your analysis. You have a new subscriber.

[@gauravnijjer]

Bryce.. so much love for you, the Beatles and this video! Thank you for reviewing this. I sang along with this video. Lots of love and light to you from New Delhi via Bonn!

[@MidnightNotion]

Guarav! My friend! How the heck are you!? Welcome to the channel, and thank you so much for watching.

[@coleparker]

Love story only partially. For the most part it is singing about his past life experiences, how much they meant and what is happening now.

[@heliotropezzz333]

I don't think The Beatles aimed to do anything 'for the industry'. That was not their motivation. I don't think they wrote for technical appreciation either. Panning of sound was done by some groups in the 60s and 70s. The main reason why this song is loved by people is because of the words as well as the deceptive simplicity and sweetness of the music. The keyboard instrument sounds like a harpsichord to me but it may not be an actual harpsichord that is being played. It's not about stuff going on in the world. It's more about stuff going on in the singer's life.

[@pizzarellayt]

I listen to a lot of Beatles, and tend to not listen to mono recordings. Most of the time, certain things are hard panned left or right, including drums and vocals. One of my favorites from this album is called "Girl". When I listen to it with headphones on, turned up a bit loud, I almost get an ASMR-like feeling from the chorus. If you listen to it, you'll see why.

[@margaritakmp]

I get a similar ASMR-like feeling from "Because". Idk enough to explain why, to me it's just angelic!

[@dannygriffith6185]

Until their "White"Album & Abbey Road, their albums were produced to focus on mono mixes not stereo. Stereo didn't become the norm until the very late 60's on.

[@plother4242]

good choice of Beatles songs. One of my favorites. Thank you for the reaction.

[@jamsb100]

The left right panning was considered totally cool. High tech of the day

[@crossoneheart]

I really like your fresh take on the Beatles. As a musician it’s awesome to see another listen to it and be amazed you got a subscriber in me 😊👍🏻

[@MidnightNotion]

Thank you so much! Of course, I’d love to know if there’s anything better or different I could be doing with my reactions to make them more interesting, but glad you’re here and glad you enjoyed this one.

[@crossoneheart]

@@MidnightNotion hope you can do more Beatles songs. As a musician you are in for a treat they have such a wide range of songs.

[@cosmictom5255]

The sound you hear is a tambourine, then the ride bell.

[@teri7398]

Beatles were in "mono" when recorded. I've read that things didn't sound right when they would re release in "stereo" because original recordings were in "mono" if that makes any sense. Anyway I'm a "Beatle People" lol.

[@jnagarya519]

See George Martin's ""All You Need is Ears" which includes the details of recording technology and recording.

[@passdogs_dadpassdogs_dad6153]

Amazing music. Key to there success musically is that they were 4 extremely talented, musicians, songwriters, singers that were smart savvy people and a charismatic genuine bunch of lads

[@fractuss]

Some of their most perfect lyrics.

[@ArniePorter]

Stereo recording was in its infancy in 1965 when this song (album) came out. Their earlier albums were recorded on mono and than adopted for stereo. Their first couple of albums were in fact recorded on two track systems, one for vocals and one for the backing (instruments) track. I’m far from a recording expert but the old, more primitive mixing desks and tape decks may have necessitated that these early stereo recording were split between right and left channels.

[@MidnightNotion]

That makes a lot of sense, thank you! I had a feeling it was something to do with technology.

[@DavidGigg]

This was recorded on 4 track, only their first two albums were recorded on 2 track. Normally vocals were placed in the middle, but for this album, were hard panned on one side. The remixes have put the vocals back in the middle

[@danilleblanc7487]

@@DavidGigg Stop complaing about nothing. It is what it is and it is brilliant!

[@DavidGigg]

@@danilleblanc7487 I agree it is brilliant - I just stated some facts and didn't complain about anything, not sure what you mean?

[@kentclark6420]

@@DavidGigg That seemed odd to me, too.

[@NortholtJohn3]

At that time George Martin was very much experimenting with how instruments sounded in mono as well as stereo, up until that point Paul and John’s vocals were centrally placed with some reverb on all their albums up to Help!, Rubber Soul broke the mould in recording techniques, given the limitations placed with 4-track mixing, George had to use a bit of ingenuity if he wanted to double-track vocals and instruments for example to produce a flanging effect, this was quite a challenge in 1965, bass & lead guitar although recorded separately would have to occupy the left channel, while keyboards and drums would occupy the right channel, a process George Martin christened ‘bouncing’, it wasn’t until 8-track mixing desks appeared in late 67 that things really changed for George and The Beatles.

[@reinacarbetta388]

I enjoyed your breakdown. Love The Beatles. (And I’m sure everyone has explained the mono recordings by now lol.)

[@margaritakmp]

There are so many great Beatles songs I could recommend I hardly know where to start! I guess I would consider these some of the "basics", i.e. must-listens Slow/gentle: Blackbird, Because, Something Mid-tempo: Here Comes the Sun, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Norwegian Wood, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields Forever, Happiness is a Warm Gun Hard/fast: Helter Skelter, Back in the USSR, Twist and Shout, I Saw Her Standing There

[@robertrouse4503]

This is early Beatles. Later, their rhyme schemes change along with their rapid evolution. They only recorded from 1963 to 1969 and the changes in those six years were explosive.

[@markamos1911]

1962 to 1970. They recorded their first two singles in late 1962, Love Me Do and Please Please Me (along with their b-sides), while their final recording was I Me Mine on 3 January 1970.

[@paulcollins7185]

And before what both of you have said!! They recorded as early as 1958 and with Polydor in 1961 while in Germany, where the My Bonnie recording comes from.

[@robertrouse4503]

@@paulcollins7185 sorry, no. They didn't even become The Beatles until 1960. The German Company, Polydor, released an album of Beatles songs called, "The Beatles First" in 1964, it was made up of previously released songs from the 1963 albums, "Please, Please Me" and "Meet The Beatles". They did play in the studio for Tony Sheridan in the early '60s on "My Bonnie" and on the flip side, The Beatles performed a rocking version of "Ain't She Sweet". I got my first single after Christmas '63 with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There". I really started studying their history in 1968.

[@ramilopez6921]

Beatle records were recorded on a 4-track machine there were only 4 channels to record. Most of their records were mixed in mono stereo mixes were usually done for Classical music. When stereo took off they began to mix the records to "stereo" but because the format was new to Popular music their producer didn't really know of to mix in stereo like the music of today. The Beatles music needs to be listen in mono if you have a choice in format. The little monkey cymbals you talk about is really the top of the ride cymbal the "bell" Thank you for the the video. I always enjoy when younger people discover the music of The Beatles. The Beatles music in the 1960s was trend setting.

[@paulcollins7185]

It is true that the Beatles music was primarily recorded for the audience in Mono, as was all "pop" music of the day, 50's and 60's. Stereo was generally reserved for classical recordings. Every Beatles album had a stereo version released of it when each album was first released!!! The Beatles did not attend recording mixes for the Stereo album versions as Mono was the absolute top recording mix and how everyone listened to it and how it was presented in any listening. The Beatles stereo released albums were for a niche market, a small market as stereo equipment was very expensive. Those original stereo released issues of every early Beatles albums are very sought after, (The British released catalogue), and fetch large money if in mint condition. So, Mono is the best way to listen to original recordings of the Beatles up to 1968 when stereo was then becoming the lead mix to release in, hence the equal numbers of Mono and stereo pressings of the white album (1968) but, with Mono pressings supplying shops first due to the buying public still largely with Mono equipment.

[@izzykhach]

The dissonance caused by the fifths harmonies that show up in the chorus is something the Beatles did a lot during their folk rock phase. You can also hear it on the song Help!

[@iainprendergast8311]

The harpsichord is actually a piano played at normal speed sped up twice the speed played by George grandfather Martin

[@MidnightNotion]

😱 Wild! Yet so cool!

[@Esopusfloater]

Wow, do you have a ride ahead!!! You will enjoy figuring out how they have created sounds & what they used.

[@davidvornsand9551]

Get on with it man! I forgot what song we were listening to! In order to react to it you must listen to more than ten seconds at a time!

[@MidnightNotion]

Sorry you weren’t patient enough for an analysis video. Here’s the song without interruptions: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3PGladsedh_h6M

[@jamesrowe3606]

@@MidnightNotion He makes a reasonable point and your passive aggressive response tells me all I need to know. I'm out.

[@MidnightNotion]

I don’t think there’s anything passive aggressive about recognizing when someone isn’t your intended audience, and giving them an alternative. I promised frequent stops, then stopped frequently. If you missed the “before we rock” section, and the entire point of the video, *and decided to comment anyway*, that’s on you. 🤷‍♂️

[@jamesrowe3606]

@@MidnightNotionI think the point you may be missing is that your observations on each five seconds of the music are far too intrusive for many of us. Do what you will with that.

[@MidnightNotion]

I think the point you may be missing is that my audience keeps growing every day, so I’m not too worried about it. You’re just not the target market, and that’s okay.

[@gloablist_elite9675]

Johnos vocals go crazy, next john song gotta be girl, only sleeping Lucy in the sky or Norwegian wood, its 50/50 the fans on who they prefer John or paul but both have absolute amazing voices as with George when he wrote the odd song like here comes the suns within you and without you

[@jnagarya519]

It isn't "panning". The STANDARD was that all music was recorded on one track, and the vocals on the other track. It is PRE-MIXED MONO. Because the main means of promotion was radio which was MONO. George Martin was PISSED when EMI released the PRE-MIXED MONO without consulting him as "stereo".

[@cynthia-nh2zq]

According to John Lennon, In My Life was his “first real piece of major work” because it was the first time he wrote about his own life. Kenneth Allsop, a journalist said that John should write songs about his childhood. because of that, John wrote a song in a form of a lengthy poem- the original lyrics were inspired by a bus route he used to take in his home town- Liverpool (he mentioned Penny Lane and Strawberry Field - two places Lennon-McCartney wrote about later on) John later disregarded the first draft of lyrics calling it “the most boring sort of ‘what did I did on my holiday's bus trip’ song”. he revised the words to be less specific- only nodding towards his past. according to John’s friend, peter Shotton, the lines “some are dead and some are living/in my life I've loved them all” referred to himself and Stuart Sutcliffe (Sutcliffe being the original Beatles bass player who passed away in 1962.)

[@1967PONTIACGTO]

my original copy of Rubber Soul is in mono.... I think the stereo versions were afterthoughts... as for the drum sound, I think sometimes Ringo put a tambourine on the cymbal, but I am not a musician and this is a guess.... Rubber Soul is my personal favourite Beatles album, which makes it my #1 album of all time... this was a John Lennon song... for a Paul McCartney song from the same album try "Drive My Car"

[@robertspino521]

its very common for the beatles they were the first ones to do voices on one side and the instrument on the other side.

[@montymason1647]

Uhhhh, no, it's not a "love song" per se. Bro', In My Life is a meditation on the past, the paradoxical impermanence of all things that is the permanent reality of the universe, and how memory invests "meaning" (Lennon's words) in an impermanent world, and what in turn gives rise to memory is "love." Bro', this is the moment where the Beatles transformed hit-driven "pop" songs into a richer art that refers to the likes of James Joyce (The Dubliners) and even Proust (Le Recherche du Temps Perdu): there is no "G-d" and there is no "I-love-you, you-love-me" formula here. Dude. You've missed the "meaning," altogether. In My Life is not a mere "love song" to any one person. It is the rumination on how love itself transcends death,the impermanence that time visits upon all things, about how love gives rise to memory and meaning in a universe where the only permanence is impermanence, and there is no stable meaning ("Some forever, not for better/ Some have gone and some remain") . And bro', you missed how the Beatles's signature genre-bending makes its pronounced debut here (although, in truth, their penchant for flaunting musical, gender, racial, cultural boundaries existed from their first recordings) , with the inclusion of the baroque keyboard solo instead of the 1960's customary rock guitar solo (or the 1950's sax solo): the anachronistic sounds of the keyboard movement evoking the sounds of an entirely different century reinforce the song's themes of transcending time, i.e., a baroque flourish in the middle of a mid-sixties "pop" song, something other popular artists of the time would neither think to do ...nor dare to do. And to the point that this is NOT a "love song" per se, In My Life never touches upon the "I-love-you, you-love-me" formula; instead, the narrator and his assumed lover are cast as one of the many persons who have come, "gone, and some remain." The song evokes the reality that the narrator and his love will soon, too, be among those who are "gone." But they, narrator and lover, will be "remembered" and "loved"--kept immortal--by OUR LOVE of the song AND ITS "MEANINGS." Dude. THAT'S why the Beatles remain GOAT.

[@danilleblanc7487]

Right on. Will he learn though? I think he's in denial. He even admits to a 'bias' at the video's end. If he really listens he'll probably come to realize the truth of it. It seems all too complicated for him at the moment.

[@montymason1647]

@@danilleblanc7487 : Oh, those Beatles. They were so far ahead of the game as to have invented a whole new one. Four gender-fluid, multiculturalist, working-class, woke boys from a forlorn Northern town change the world like The Man Who Fell to Earth times four. Hey, logic would tell us that “ Liverpool” is NOT really their home; a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri, perhaps… I don’t want to harsh the young blood about missing the point of the song. I mean, I’m still trying to figure how four blokes from so modest class origins, from …ummm…”Liverpool”… literally changed the world. In My Life, indeed!

[@MidnightNotion]

I’d like to point you both back to the “Before We Rock…” section of the video (00:53), where I said “I’m improvising this whole thing, so I’m going to get things wrong. Don’t worry about it.” Deep breaths. We’ll get through this. 😉

[@montymason1647]

@@MidnightNotion : Yeah, ohhhh-kaye: BUT, the lyric casting the narrator ( Lennon) and his unnamed lover as among those who are among those “gone and some remain”; , the anachronistic instrumentation evoking time and its simultaneously paradoxical passing and permanence; the staggering of vocal harmonies emphasizing crucial main points ( G# minor -B Maj), a literal “Greek Chorus,” and Lennon’s lead vocal suddenly suspended in spare vocal space ( G Maj7 to A Maj), evoking the (then) contemporary existentialists’ notions of “Man” alone, trying to find meaning in an arbitrary, meaningless universe: all making FORM = CONTENT the underpinning of the song ( relationship/community, transitioning to aloneness) - its all there for the fluent musician ( and lit majors, for that matter) to pick up on, as well as a discerning, NON-musician, NON-lit major listener who never learned “contrapuntal” from “modulation”: or the lit-major’s “modernism” and “post-modernism.” I’m not harshing; ima Jess Sayen’😐🤓🤓👍

[@markfox6596]

True Beatle classic.

[@MrJimithee]

Yeah, I think I'll hit the high hat...ONCE... Such an original beat, I never would have thought of... Iconic

[@MidnightNotion]

Right!? Only Ringo could make a hit song with linear drumming. 😆

[@anthonymunn8633]

The Beatles recorded/mixed their songs for mono until their last few albums,with the stereo versions put together as an afterthought by the engineers.At the time,stereo was a niche reserved for people who could afford stereo setups.

[@patdonnelly9392]

Oh, Love this song, Love the lyrics, Love Johns mellow voice (he can also rip his throat up with a cool rasp, as well as hit the high notes.) You should dive into some more Beatles. You can't go wrong with them. I enjoyed your reaction.Thank You. I'll hit subscribe now!

[@MidnightNotion]

I’m glad you enjoyed it, Pat! Welcome to the channel! Lots of different kinds of music here, so I hope there will be more for you. 😊

[@patdonnelly9392]

@@MidnightNotion I will certainly be checking in!

[@petereiso5415]

I would dread to listen to an orchestra with you.

[@MidnightNotion]

The feeling is mutual. 😉

[@001Flange]

Headphones and the Beatles go together very well.

[@MidnightNotion]

I prefer listening on my studio speakers, but to each their own. 😊

[@plother4242]

This is the first reaction video I have watched from you. I watched it only because it was the Beatles. You did a great job and I will watch more if you will do more 60's and 70's bands since I truly believe that those two decades had the most talented bands in history. Queen, Bee Gees, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Bread, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, so many to choose from. Queen did some amazing things with the panning you were talking about. If you haven't heard Bohemian Rhapsody please to that but use the studio version only because the video had things that they couldn't do on stage even though the singing on stage was just as good as any album. Normally I would say to do the live version because you can see the true talent of them live. Bands from the 60's and 70's had true talent. None of this fixing their lack of talent with technology. Thank you for the reaction. Subscribed!

[@MidnightNotion]

Thanks for subscribing! I’m really glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope you’ll find it in your heart to check out some of my other reactions/reviews, even if they’re not in your typical choice of genre. That’s the whole point of this series. I’m a rocker, so the ‘60s-‘80s is where all my influences come from. I’ve covered many of the bands you listed above on stage, and listened to many others just like them. But I never spent much time outside of rock. Most people stop looking for new music in their 20s, so this series is about breaking that habit and exploring stuff I’m less familiar with to find out what I can learn. I understand the knee-jerk reaction to reject technology. The first time I recorded a song, I insisted on playing it all the way through without any edits, because I was a big strong musician who didn’t need edits. 😆 How wrong I was. The thing is, all the greats explore new technology, and they often find some unique way to use it. Think of Queen’s use of synths, or Zepplin recording drums in a stairwell, or Pink Floyd’s epic productions, or Phil Collins’ gated reverb drum sound. All using technology to enhance the song. There might be artists who are using tech as a shortcut, but I promise there are plenty of talented artists still out there grinding. We just have to look for them. 😊

[@youngbloodk]

The Beatles were very much focused on doing what was best each song, George and Ringo especially. They did not like to show off, and would play exactly what the song needed, nothing more, nothing less. So, there are no long solos, and the solos are generally short and efficient. For this reason, there is almost no filler in the entire Beatles catalog. They gave each track the attention it needed, whether it was meant to be a single, or what would be considered a filler track to complete an album. This quality and volume of music they produced (16 CDs worth) in just seven years of recording is astounding.

[@MidnightNotion]

I like that a lot. The show-off solos never impressed me much because I could always sense the machismo behind them. Getting straight to the point in an impressive way? Now that’s what I’m talking about!

[@petegiant]

Stereo was in its infancy prior to Abbey Road. The Beatles were only present for the mixes of the mono versions up until that point. Most people at their height experienced The Beatles in mono and they are a very different and better experience.

[@antoniomacedo2397]

First time listening to "In my life"? First time listening to... First time? Oh, Midnight Notion, you need to hold your breath and fully dive in! Read up on the all the incredible experiments that The Beatles pioneered in the studio for their time, like they did in this "harpsichord" piano solo. If I can tell anything from your videos is that you'll probably be a Beatles junkie by the end of it; if you let The Beatles In Your Life.

[@waynecox3958]

Fact is that George Martin wanted a harpsichord solo but the record co was too cheap to bring one in for his use. He showed them.

[@jnagarya519]

It isn't "panning". It is how the sounds were recorded on left and right tracks. In order to "pan" a sound the sound must be recorded to at least two tracks. It was standard to record the music on one track, and the vocals on the other track, and then mix them to MONO, which was the MARKET, and the promotional means -- radio -- which was MONO. That's why "The Beatles" tend to sound better than in the unmixed MONO: the intent from the outset was that the released recording would be MONO.

[@lisahaverluk4037]

Yeah can't go wrong with Beatles man...just appreciate All of their stuff ☺️😌☺️😌

[@gpxo11]

Unfortunately Capitol records did that to The Beatles stereo mixes for the U.S. releases which made the Beatles angry when they heard about it. US was the only country to have their mixes that way. Capitol also "butchered" the US albums by deleting songs from albums to make additional albums-which is why the Beatles posed for what is known as the "Butcher" cover for the Yesterday & today album-which was an album cobbled from the British Rubber Soul and Revolver album that was left off the US releases. US Beatles 65 was a mess with all the stereo reverb and additional processing not heard on UK releases.

[@MidnightNotion]

Wow, that’s…annoying as hell! Record labels can be so vile. Thanks for sharing!

[@mykota2417]

Try wearing headphones to see if it's a better experience.

[@MidnightNotion]

Honestly, for this song, it would have been worse. I would have been really distracted by the panning. I’m thankful for my studio speakers.

[@netzahuacoyotl]

The panning has to do with track limitations. Recording on 4 track, they had to bounce tracks so you might end up with bass and drums on one track, guitars on another, keyboard and extra percussion on another and then vocals. It limits the panning options.

[@herbyragan8686]

Unfortunately the stereo mixes back in the sixties weren’t very good (mostly). Not only unusual separations but also the sound came out a little muddy or tinny. I highly recommend that you seek out the mono mixes. So much cleaner.

[@jumperking368]

John Lennon was 24 when he wrote and recorded this. The Beatles were all under 30 when they broke up having recorded all their 12 albums in under 7 years.

[@luisalbertocalla6649]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@charliecochran3035]

Nice review. One area wjere the Beatles stand alone on top of the rock mountain is in ballads. Its not all they did, but it's what they did better than anyone ever. I dont know how, but people have been misunderstanding the lyric for decades. It's often played at funerals etc (including my father's) because it sounds like a lament for friends lost. It's pretty funny. It's just a love song, though not what I'd call a simple one. Listen to more of them on your headphones. They loved isolating different components left, right and center.

[@jameshealy8402]

Yeh it's common, that's why you've got to wear headphones. Nowhere Man next , if you haven't heard

[@youngbloodk]

Until I believe the White Album, The Beatles were only involved in the mono mixes of their songs. After the mono versions were done, some one else would come in and do the stereo mix, which frequently had the most of the vocal panned to one side.

[@georgeditzel3504]

Tambourine on the highhat

[@adamrichards3174]

Keep in mind that most kids listened to music on the radio, AM mono radio. If you had the money, you might pick up the 45 rpm single... also mono. Jukeboxes were, with few exceptions, mono. Stereo albums had been publicly available since the late 50's, but were far from being the standard until the late 60s. The stereo mixes for the early Beatles albums were very much an after thought and are largely looked at as being inferior to the mono mix. It really wasn't until Sgt. Pepper that real effort was put into the stereo mix.

[@storysource889]

At that time they worked in 4-track. If you REALLY want to blow your mind listen to the album, Stg Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band -- stacking tracks to the hilt, all recorded with 4 tracks.

[@MidnightNotion]

SPLHCB is definitely in the running for one of the best records of all time, and I’ve only heard it all the way through once.

[@troycampbell7408]

I think you get the gold medal for most interruptions and so far absolutely no attention to the lyrics.

[@MidnightNotion]

Thank you so much! I’m so honored to accept this medal and I have so many people to thank: First off, the academy. My mom, of course. KZbin, for the free platform to do whatever I want with my channel, and allllll the people who are really confused about the difference between listening to a song in full and watching a reaction video.

[@trondheien]

The panning is weird. They had not learned how to do it yet. It was ment to be heard in mono, and in my opinion, mono sounds better.

[@alfrede.neuman1257]

Music is so over-produced these days that nobody knows what real separation sounds like. For example: Bass and drums right channel. Gutars and vocal on the left. It's a wonderful, clean sound. And with headphones? I'm 61 yo, and played drums in bands. Even a small amount in a studio. (hard rock) Some of the best engineered recordings imo were Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, and a few others. The engineer understood the power of separation in recording. It's a listening experience, not just cluttered noise. It's clean and separate, not muddled noise.

[@MidnightNotion]

Oh, that’s intriguing! To each their own, I guess, but I far prefer vocals, bass, kick, and snare in the center. I like everyone in the room to be able to get the beat, no matter which speaker they’re closest to. Hard panning is reserved for guitars, pads, choirs, orchestration, and effects. But that’s also because I’m preferring speakers over headphones, and maybe the bias comes from most of my life being in stereo. I very much appreciate hearing that you favor another way. I’ll certainly watch out for that in other songs from that era.

[@alfrede.neuman1257]

I guess I over-simplified that...or vice-versa. My point was CLEAR separation. I've heard many an album over the years that was popular but poorly recorded. A very "mid-rangey" awful recording. No real crispy highs and no low end balls. Terrible mix, terrible sound = bad recording engineering. For example: Listen to Dark Side of the Moon and a Foreigner album. Which one sounds better? Forget the music itself, listen to the quality of the engineering.

[@RS-ni3lj]

The majority of their original recordings were heard in mono. George Martin admits stereo wasn't much of a thing at the time and he spent very little time on the stereo mixes. More recent mixes by Giles Martin have addressed this to bring the stereo mixes up to modern standards.

[@alfrede.neuman1257]

I beg to differ. I'm 62 yo and remember (and still have the music) every single tune in stereo. Maybe the very FIRST things they recorded were in mono, (before they made it big) but it sure as hell wasn't mono when you bought their music. I had every album. Believe me, it was clean STEREO.

[@RS-ni3lj]

@@alfrede.neuman1257, why should we trust your memory? You can't even remember your age. Two hours ago you told us you're 61.

[@raymundschutz4826]

The mono version was the standard in those days.

[@barbarabisson2551]

This technique seemed to start in this decade; not always done, but it became common. were you thinking of "harpsichord"?

[@MidnightNotion]

I was *definitely* thinking of harpsichord, thank you. I sometimes mix them up, because the clavichord has a somewhat similar sound.

[@Wither81]

This is a nice Beatles tune but it probably wouldn’t even come in my top50. But damn it’s the Beatles and this outshines everything here on youtube (almost)

[@coleparker]

How much you like it, depends on how old you are. As most people get older they enjoy it more.

[@gabrieldacruz3150]

It's common in rock and roll if you ever listen to the greatest bands of all time the who Zeppelin rolling Stones they all do it quadrophenia from The who is known for that the music circles you it is amazing it's a great technique it sounds awesome sounds like you're floating and flying

[@Ian24s]

Those few notes are dear

[@sunnyd4734]

You've never heard stereophonic sound? Yeah, the 1960s were amazing. 👏 👏

[@i.m.7710]

Is this real? Are we murdering the first listen of a beautiful song by dissecting it alive???😱😱😱

[@MidnightNotion]

Yes, it’s real, but no, it’s not murder. I praised the song all the way through, so I’m not sure where you got that idea.

[@daveb8449]

I think they're using a harpsichord.

[@leonardlaufer8296]

Boy. I'd hate to have yóu do the músic at a party.

[@MidnightNotion]

Yeah, because I DEFINITELY do parties and music analysis KZbin channels exactly the same. I don’t change my behavior based on context basically ever. Good for you for knowing that. 😉

[@rascatripp]

rocker what about Helter Skelter, not bad for the '68 uh?

[@Isleofskye]

He will pause,at least,70 times for that one😀

[@yearoftherabbitoftheyear]

It's real use of stereo, for arts sake, not a homogeneous broth...

[@alexanderh3924]

Lol bro you’re older than me. That was the mono sound

[@martingradolph3445]

holy shit ...how many times can you stop this masterpiece...good bye

[@MidnightNotion]

I can stop it a whole bunch! 😊

[@lisahaverluk4037]

Put on some headphones 🤣😊😊😊😊

[@jiminoutdid]

please react to pied Piper, 134340, or tomorrow by bts (there is no music video for these so I would recommend watching the color coded lyric videos. There are all their bside tracks and not their title tracks) , I really loved your honest opinions and thoughts on your other reaction of them and want to see that honesty again! I really enjoyed watching your video

[@jiminoutdid]

Title tracks that I would personally recommend are blood sweat tears or run

[@jiminoutdid]

or instead of these you could watch a compilation of them singing a few of their songs live kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIPLm5ePqLOqd80 again pls continue your reactions I really enjoyed them ❤️❤️

[@bobbybrettel5422]

Beatles songs Hey Bulldog and Oh Darling

[@gloablist_elite9675]

But yeah their lsd and Indian sounding isntrument was genius

[@cosmictom5255]

Funny enough the Band hated stereo mixes. They always wanted the Mono mix.

[@MidnightNotion]

I definitely wouldn’t like to have everything separated out like that! Some engineers still mix in mono, to make sure everything sounds right together, so I don’t blame them for preferring it.

[@mz5458]

Start at the very beginning, and work your way through the catalog.

[@DaniiXerr]

React more the beatles xd

[@rascatripp]

let it go and then comment. ...

[@MidnightNotion]

Let what go?

[@Isleofskye]

@@MidnightNotion Let the whole song play and then dissect it, to your heart's content..

[@johnandrews3151]

You no headphones, me no subscribe!

[@MidnightNotion]

That’s a pretty silly reason… I’m listening on studio-quality speakers.

[@georgeditzel3504]

Recorded 2 tracks ,most playback was monoral

[@tomwagner4406]

I almost feel sorry for you having grown up listening to the Backstreet Boys

[@MidnightNotion]

You don’t need to feel sorry for me. Max Martin’s pop production skills are top-notch, and 5 singers naturally harmonizing without (before) autotune is beautiful. People love to hate on ‘90s pop, but people who love to hate are typically unlovable themselves. I like to look for the good in every genre, including the ones I didn’t grow up with. 😊

[@gabrieldacruz3150]

You're right you doing interrupt the song a lot about stuff that you could just outline later but the thing that you're missing and it's a huge thing with the Beatles the music's great but the lyrics are even better you're not even analyzing what they're singing about and they're singing about life and how life and days in your life relate and you're missing it all for some little quirks and music which I enjoy the music so much but without their lyrics their music is worthless

[@brianduffens2803]

You are overanalyzing 1st generation stereo. However, some contemporary bands like The Who or Led Zeppelin took it to another level. Quadrophenia!!!!

[@MidnightNotion]

I like to think everyone else is under-analyzing. 😉

[@Stereoheadx]

Your first time and you paused 47 times??? really?? 😂😂👎🏼

[@MidnightNotion]

Did you seriously count? That’s some major dedication. Thanks for the watch time!

[@Isleofskye]

@@MidnightNotion You're being flippant and stubborn but I GUARANTEE, sadly, that you will stop within 6 momyjs because few are going to tolerate that number of pauses. He counted, presumably, because he was incredulous. Luckily,I stopped after just 9 as I saw a pattern emerging.

[@MidnightNotion]

I don’t know… I’ve been doing reactions since late 2020, and my audience has grown by almost 2000. 🤷‍♂️

[@lisahaverluk4037]

Stop.. stopping dude

[@MidnightNotion]

No thanks. 😊

[@dennislalka7965]

Focus more on the words...the meaning of the song!!!

[@MidnightNotion]

Thank you for the suggestion. The downside to this idea is that I didn’t write the words, and not every artist makes their intent known. Without proper research, I will always miss something (and this is a reaction video, not a research video). All I can do is interpret what they *might* mean, and what the rhyme scheme is. Anything else would be guess-work, and probably make people even more upset.

[@lorddaver5729]

@@MidnightNotion Just listen to the lyrics, for goodness sake! You'll pick up the meaning if you give it half a chance.

[@Isleofskye]

I like you but in a quick moving,fast paced World, you are asking far too much of your audience. You will be tthe first ever reactor to talk MORE than the entire song while the song is playing. You should take your own advice and keep it "short and sweet" but you paused NINE times and we are still in the first verse so PauseI pause relectantly pause lhave to pause say pause that I have not pause got the pause patience and I pause am 68 years pause old in London,er,pause...

[@MidnightNotion]

Maybe the world needs to slow down a bit and learn to enjoy the little things. 😉 My audience are primarily interested in songwriting and audio production. If you came just to listen, you’re definitely going to get frustrated. But at the end of the day, I started the video by saying I would stop it a lot, so it’s not really my fault that you kept watching, is it?

[@Isleofskye]

@@MidnightNotion I learned in my Mid 30's, well over 30 years ago, that Life, like KZbin Reactions, is all about "Balance".I expected frequent pauses but not an avalanche, especially as it desecrated any flow, rhythm, or continuity of a very poignant song that becomes ever more meaningful as the decades pass and people who were part of one's life pass on. With a very bitter irony, I have just received a call from a friend of 40 years informing me that this might be our last conversation as he undergoes a life-saving operation tomorrow morning. I did not keep watching and allocating a 13-minute video reaction to a song lasting less than 3 minutes is disproportionate. Normally the usual Reactor's balance is the polar opposite. You don't seem bothered that you are only appealing to a relatively small number od viewers and at 68 years old in London, life is too short mon ami...

[@MidnightNotion]

So sorry to hear about your friend. All the best to you, your friend, and your friend’s family. Something I’d like you to understand is that I am not a typical reactor. Most have little to no musical experience-they are simply listening and reacting to what they hear, occasionally adding a “that was cool” or “this is interesting.” The music theorists like Rick Beato, 12tone, and Adam Neely usually spend much longer on each song, because they are experts in their field who are dissecting things in great detail. I want to be somewhere in between. I have written and recorded my fair share of songs, I play multiple instruments, I am a video editor, and I have a degree in audio production. I want to be able to talk about production to the layperson, and get them interested to know more. Simple things like recognizing the unique panning, and the background elements-stuff an untrained reactor will never notice; but I also want to keep it simple enough that the untrained viewer won’t get bored by stuff they don’t know. Again: if you want to hear the song, listen to the song. If you want to LEARN about it, and try to emulate it in your own music, then I’d like to help you.

[@Isleofskye]

@@MidnightNotion Thanks for your kind words. I wish you every success and it was good of you to take the time and trouble to give that comprehensive explanation. Good Luck.

[@robertspino521]

and u interrupt to much to the point that i left before the song was over. and i never leave a beatles song. it got annoying

[@silviocrespo4329]

Millennials are tough to deal with, this guy just hasn't heard the songwriting and his knowledge of the evolution of recording studios and stereo panning techniques back then is nil. He couldn't hear the song. Tip? Study more.

[@MidnightNotion]

Do you realize when you comment on my video, you are talking directly to me?

[@silviocrespo4329]

@@MidnightNotionyes, of course.

[@MidnightNotion]

Okay, so now that we have that covered, why are you being so disrespectful to me? I didn’t say anything bad about you. Heck, I didn’t even say anything bad about the Beatles. Kinda unnecessary to call me tough to deal with and question my knowledge, don’t you think?

[@silviocrespo4329]

by the way you only like to hear praise and not criticism. It's part of maturation. I'm not beatlemaniac, from what I realized you are also a musician. I am too, and for me and my musician friends (which I also showed your video) the opinion was one. he didn't listen to the song, he just joked about the recording, and it wasn't even a love song, he didn't pay attention. this to us is an insult. So research, really listen and don't belittle the old ones, because this is history. oh, and learn to listen to criticism because that's how you grow.

[@MidnightNotion]

It sounds like you drastically misunderstood the point of this video from the very beginning, and all of your opinions are shaped by that misunderstanding. I want to help: The whole point of the Rocker Review is to 1) listen to songs I’ve never heard before, 2) share what I learn from my first time hearing them, and 3) hopefully teach people a little bit about audio production and songwriting. I did all of those things in this video, in layperson terms, and with a smile! I praised the song and the band. It’s literally positive energy all the way through, so it’s not really my fault that my passion brought you frustration, is it? I have never claimed expertise in any field, and I have never said my opinion is the only opinion. In every episode, I remind viewers that I am improvising, and that I’m going to get some things wrong, and I do. I add that disclaimer because of people like you, who would rather point out everything I got wrong than actually participate in good-faith conversation. Imagine how nice it would have been if you had started with “I think the lyrics mean ___,” instead of shouting about how I got them wrong. Do you understand the difference between those interactions? You’ve also made a lot of assumptions about me in your “criticism,” but you don’t know me, my background, or how deep my musical resume goes. You also assume that I don’t take criticism, but the truth is that you punched first. I don’t take kindly to rudeness and bad-faith commenters. Proper criticism keeps it positive, and offers a next step. Example: “You made a good attempt at analyzing, but I think the lyrics go a bit deeper than that. Here’s an article that shares more about the song.” That is feedback. What you did is yell at a stranger on the internet, making it personal, and quite frankly, rude. It’s not helping anyone, is it? Are you even trying to be helpful? Do you find yourself yelling at a lot of strangers on the internet? When you showed my video to your friends (thanks for the extra views, by the way), did you precede it with “look at this idiot,” or did you let them watch without context? Because I have a lot of musician and audio production friends (and almost 2,000 subscribers) who *don’t* misunderstand my videos, and they tend to have a great time. By the numbers, you’re the rare case. The way I see it, I made an innocent video, and you disliked it so much that you watched it several times. Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but every time you watch and comment, I get more money, so I should really be thanking you.

[@lorddaver5729]

Stop interrupting so much!

[@MidnightNotion]

No thanks.

[@silviocrespo4329]

É uma merda ter de ficar explicando pra millenium tudo, cansei..eles não manjam nada e acham que sabem tudo, vai estudar, rapaz.