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Today’s session, unusually, was devoted entirely to one of George’s songs: “Blue Jay Way.” First yesterday’s recording was mixed down to a single track, then lead and backing vocals were added.
I frankly don’t have much more to say about “Blue Jay Way.” How about you, Mark Lewisohn’s The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions?
“Blue Jay Way” was to George Harrison what – in recording terms – “Strawberry Fields Forever” or “I Am the Walrus” were to John Lennon, in that it seized upon all the studio trickery and technical advancements of 1966 and 1967 and captured them in one song. “Blue Jay Way” – as it ended up on disc – could not have been the same without Ken Townsend’s ADT [artificial double tracking] and its associated “flanging” effect, without the discovery of backwards tapes and without the use of strings scraping away in the background. Just like John’s two songs, “Blue Jay Way” makes fascinating listening for anyone interested in what could be achieved in a 1967 recording studio.
As explained previously, “Blue Jay Way” was written by George when waiting for a friend to arrive out of the Los Angeles fog. The song manages to capture the feel of the fog very well, with its swirling organ parts and extensive use of ADT – at its very widest use – to create a phasing effect of almost two voices. The vocals were taped on this day as were the backing vocals, sung by George – and occasionally joined by John and Paul — much of which was played backwards on the disc.
That’ll do nicely, thanks.