Paul McCartney may be an adored figure in British music, but he also has a cheeky side. After all, during The Beatles’ performances in small clubs in Hamburg, it was McCartney who performed those Little Richard songs, belting them out with enthusiasm.
In the mid-60s, as a fierce competition erupted among elite British bands over who could create the loudest sounds, it was clear there would be a standout champion. After reading an interview with Pete Townshend of The Who about their single ‘I Can See For Miles,’ Paul McCartney noted a remark that it was their most powerful and extreme record yet – prompting him to raise the stakes.
Returning to Abbey Road, he began drafting concepts for ‘Helter Skelter’ – considered one of the pioneering rock or metal records, it emerged from this friendly rivalry.
In the Beatles’ Anthology series, he explained: “While in Scotland, I saw in Melody Maker that Pete Townshend mentioned: ‘We’ve just produced the raunchiest, loudest, most absurd rock ‘n’ roll record ever…’”
“I never figured out what track The Who had put out, but that comment inspired me; just hearing him speak about it. So I said to the guys, ‘We should create something like that; something truly wild.’ And I wrote ‘Helter Skelter’.”
“You can hear the voices straining, and we played it so long and so frequently that by the end, you can hear Ringo remarking, ‘I’ve got blisters on my fingers.’ We just pushed to make it louder: Can we amplify the drums even more?”
In the full-band production for The White Album, the overdubs for ‘Helter Skelter’ included “mouth sax” – essentially John Lennon using a saxophone mouthpiece.
Later, Paul McCartney reflected: “I had come across a review of a record that mentioned, ‘and this group really got us excited, there’s echo on everything, they’re screaming their heads off.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, it’d be amazing to do something like that.’”
“‘Unfortunately, they’ve already done it. It must be incredible – a truly screaming record.’ Then I heard their track, and it was fairly straightforward and quite sophisticated. It wasn’t rough or screaming or covered in tape echo at all.
“So I thought, ‘Alright, we’ll create one like that, then.’ And I had this song called ‘Helter Skelter,’ which is just a silly song. We went ahead with it that way because I enjoy noise.”
So, once again…
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Paul McCartney is a cherished icon in British music, but he also has a more risqué aspect. After all, during the time The Beatles were performing