A Toot and a Snore in '74
A Toot and a Snore in '74 | |
---|---|
Studio album (bootleg) by John Lennon and Paul McCartney | |
Released | 1992 |
Recorded | 28 March 1974, Burbank Studios, Los Angeles |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 29:12 |
Label | Mistral Music MM 9225 |
A Toot and a Snore in '74 is a bootleg album consisting of the only known recording session in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney played together after the break-up of the Beatles in 1970. First mentioned by Lennon in a 1975 interview,[1] more details were brought to light in May Pang's 1983 book, Loving John, and it gained wider prominence when McCartney made reference to the session in a 1997 interview. Talking with Australian writer Sean Sennett in his Soho office, McCartney said the "session was hazy... for a number of reasons".
Recording history
Lennon was producing Harry Nilsson's album Pussy Cats, when Paul and Linda McCartney dropped in after the first night of the sessions, a.k.a. "the Jim Keltner Fan Club Hour", at Burbank Studios on 28 March 1974. They were joined by Nilsson, Stevie Wonder, Jesse Ed Davis, May Pang, Mal Evans, Bobby Keys and producer Ed Freeman for an impromptu jam session.
Lennon was separated from Yoko Ono and living in Los Angeles with Pang in a period of his life popularly referred to as his "lost weekend". Although he and McCartney had not seen each other in three years and had lashed out at each other in the press, according to Pang they resumed their friendship as if nothing had happened. The jam session proved not very productive musically. Lennon sounds to be on cocaine and is heard offering Wonder a snort on the first track, then asking someone to give him a snort on the fifth. This is also the origin of the album title, where John Lennon clearly asks: "You wanna snort, Steve? A toot? It's goin' round". In addition, Lennon seems to be having trouble with his microphone and headphones.
Lennon is on lead vocal and guitar, and McCartney sings harmony and plays Ringo Starr's drums (Starr, who was recording with Nilsson at the time but not present at the session, complained at the next day's recording session that "[McCartney] always messes up my drums!").[2] Stevie Wonder sings and plays electric piano, Linda McCartney is on organ, Pang plays tambourine, Nilsson provides vocals, Davis is on guitar, Freeman (who was producing Don McLean in the neighboring studio) fills in on bass, and Keys plays saxophone.[3] Keys was questioned a number of times about the session, but could not recall any of it.
It remains the only known instance of Lennon and McCartney playing together after 1970. Aside from informal, special occasions such as weddings, collaborations of more than two ex-Beatles had been rare since the band's 1969–70 split.
Track listing
- "A Toot and a Snore" – 0:27
- "Bluesy Jam" – 2:33
- "Studio Talk" – 2:40
- The group plays a few bars of "Little Bitty Pretty One" by Thurston Harris, and John sings the first line but says he can't remember any more
- "Lucille" – 5:59
- "Nightmares" – 2:38
- Actually the band is playing "Sleep Walk", the 1959 Santo & Johnny instrumental hit.[4]
- "Stand By Me" – 2:18
- Mostly Lennon complaining about the sound in his headphones and reminiscing about how it was better half an hour ago.
- "Stand By Me" – 3:41
- Lennon complains about the sound again, saying that it was better two hours ago.
- "Stand By Me" – 6:04
- Because of Lennon's complaints, the studio has changed the microphone levels on the recording itself (rather than the performers' headphones), and most of his lead vocals can no longer be heard.
- Medley – 3:10
- After the general chaos of the Lennon-led session, Stevie Wonder tries steering the group into the following medley.
- "Cupid"
- "Chain Gang"
- "Take This Hammer"
Personnel
- in alphabetical order:
- Jesse Ed Davis – guitar
- Mal Evans – tambourine
- Ed Freeman – bass
- Bobby Keys – saxophone
- John Lennon – guitar, vocals
- Linda McCartney – organ
- Paul McCartney – drums, vocals
- Harry Nilsson – vocals
- May Pang – tambourine
- Stevie Wonder – electric piano, vocals (mostly on "Cupid")
Linda McCartney and Freeman are not credited on the bootleg's back cover. After the musicians, Mal Evans is credited with "Tea" and Pang with "Sympathy."[5]
Artwork
The album's front cover is based on Revolver, the back cover of Imagine, and the 1979 compilation album The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away.
References
- ^ John Lennon "Lost Weekend" Interviews. Event occurs at 1:45. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
I jammed with Paul, I did actually play with Paul, yeah. We did a lot of stuff in L.A., but there was 50 other people playing—they were all just watching me and Paul ...
- ^ Pang, May (1983). Loving John. Warner Books.
- ^ "John Lennon & Paul McCartney – A Toot And A Snore In 74". BootlegZone. BootlegZone & François Vander Linden. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
- ^ Engelhardt, Kristofer (1 March 2010). Beatles Deeper Undercover (Updated version ed.). Collectors Guide Publishing. p. 234. ISBN 9781926592091.
The historic evening ended with a jam of "Lucille", "Sleepwalk" (sic), "Stand By Me", "Cupid", "Chain Gang", "Take This Hammer".
- ^ "A Toot and a Snore in '74". The Paul McCartney Project. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- v
- t
- e
| |
with Yoko Ono |
|
---|
- Live Peace in Toronto 1969
- Live Jam
- Live in New York City
Hits |
|
---|---|
Themed |
|
Box sets |
|
Video |
|
- Self-Portrait (1969)
- Apotheosis (1970)
- Fly (1970)
- Erection (1971)
- Up Your Legs Forever (1971)
- Live in New York City (1972)
- Imagine (1972)
- A Toot and a Snore in '74
- S.I.R. John Winston Ono Lennon
- The Quarrymen
- The Beatles
- Plastic Ono Band
- David Peel
- The Lower East Side Band
- The Dirty Mac
- May Pang
- Harry Nilsson
- John Sinclair
- Rosaura Lopez
- Chapter 27
- In His Life: The John Lennon Story
- John and Yoko: A Love Story
- The Killing of John Lennon
- Lennon Naked
- Birth of the Beatles
- Nowhere Boy
- Backbeat
- Two of Us
- The Lennon Report
- Yesterday
memorials
- The 30th Annual John Lennon Tribute: Live from the Beacon Theatre, NYC
- "All Those Years Ago"
- Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music
- "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)"
- "Here Today"
- Imagine Peace Tower
- "The Immigrant"
- Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
- John Lennon Art and Design Building
- John Lennon Museum
- John Lennon Park
- John Lennon Peace Monument
- John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
- "The Late Great Johnny Ace"
- Lennon (musical)
- Lennon Bermuda
- Lennon Wall
- "Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)"
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport
- Non-Violence
- Strawberry Fields
- "Roll On John"
- Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon
- Imagine: John Lennon
- soundtrack
- I Met the Walrus
- John (book)
- John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky
- Lennon Remembers
- LennoNYC
- The Lives of John Lennon
- The Lost Lennon Tapes
- Marx & Lennon: The Parallel Sayings
- Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon
- The Pope Smokes Dope
- Pussy Cats
- The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
- Roots: John Lennon Sings the Great Rock & Roll Hits
- "That's My Life (My Love and My Home)"
- The U.S. vs. John Lennon
- soundtrack
- Category