Did you know that "Strawberry Fields Forever" began as an idea for a yogurt commercial? Neither did I, nor did any Beatles historians I asked because I made that up. Sometimes you gotta inject some freshness into the classics. Strawberry Lane documents the recording genesis of what would become the first written, and recorded, song for The Beatles Sgt. Pepper album. It was also the first psychedelic foray for the band and included The Beatles most elaborate instrumentation to date, there's Mellotron (intro song notes), Svarmandal (Indian instrument played by Harrison, you hear it as the descending scale played at the end of the chorus), backward looped cymbals, slide guitar, 9 or 10 percussionists, and two-thirds of the way through the recording process, Lennon asked George Martin to add some orchestral elements, that being the cello and trumpet, which ultimately became a vital part of the final mix. It feels so appropriate, because he was The Beatles, producer, guide, and mentor, that George Martin's VO shows up several times on Strawberry Lane to explain various stages of the recording process. It's fun, especially as a musician, to hear the evolution of the song from initial demos, with just Lennon and guitar, to the musician's individual added flourishes, to the fully realized vision for the song.
Buy this record, well, you can't buy this record so get it off the net.
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