Video/lyrics: The Beatles - I Am The Walrus:::::speculations on Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper, Rubber Soul and The Beatles and Beach Boys mutual influence

And we are all, in fact, The Walrus. At this juncture in rock music history, everyone was influencing everyone. It gets pretty circuitous here. . .not all that long before this, Bob Dylan hooked up with The Beatles in London and introduced them to marijuana. But more importantly, he influenced John Lennon with his new work. He was no longer a folkie, but a singer-songwriter creating imagistic, and often, surrealistic, and even Da-da-istic lyrics, densely packed with images, allusions, humor, and callbacks to other musics, past and present.

I am in the minority, preferring The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour over their 8th album, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I'm not denying the massive critical and popular acclaim the album achieved. It was innovative, from its structure to the recording techniques to the fantastic cover collage covering a broad range of pop culture heroes and villains. Sgt. Pepper's influence was massive and almost monolithic, and it actually changed the way other musicians did business.

One of the inspirations for Sergeant Pepper was The Beach Boys' masterpiece Pet Sounds. Interestingly, Pet Sounds was inspired by an earlier Beatles' album, Rubber Soul. When Wilson heard that album, he launched into making an album that cohered the same way as Rubber Soul.

Brian Wilson said about Rubber Soul: "I really wasn't quite ready for the unity. It felt like it all belonged together. Rubber Soul was a collection of songs ... that somehow went together like no album ever made before, and I was very impressed. I said, "That's it. I really am challenged to do a great album."

When McCartney and Lennon heard Pet Sounds, they were stunned. Paul McCartney said: “ It was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. I love the album so much. I've just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life ... I figure no one is educated musically 'til they've heard that album ... I love the orchestra, the arrangements ... it may be going overboard to say it's the classic of the century ... but to me, it certainly is a total, classic record that is unbeatable in many ways ... I've often played Pet Sounds and cried. I played it to John [Lennon] so much that it would be difficult for him to escape the influence ... it was the record of the time. The thing that really made me sit up and take notice was the bass lines ... and also, putting melodies in the bass line. That I think was probably the big influence that set me thinking when we recorded Pepper, it set me off on a period I had then for a couple of years of nearly always writing quite melodic bass lines. "God Only Knows" is a big favourite of mine ... very emotional, always a bit of a choker for me, that one. On "You Still Believe in Me", I love that melody - that kills me ... that's my favourite, I think ... it's so beautiful right at the end ... comes surging back in these multi-coloured harmonies ... sends shivers up my spine. ”

Eric Clapton said that "I consider Pet Sounds to be one of the greatest pop LPs to ever be released. It encompasses everything that's ever knocked me out and rolled it all into one."

Elton John thinks that "Pet Sounds is a landmark album. For me to say that I was enthralled would be an understatement. I had never heard such magical sounds, so amazingly recorded. It undoubtedly changed the way that I, and countless others, approached recording. It is a timeless and amazing recording of incredible genius and beauty."

Beatles producer George Martin said that that "Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn't have happened... Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds." After Sgt. Pepper was released, Wilson was so despondent that he went to bed for months. Uh no, he went to bed for years. But that's a story for another day.

Once again, I have taken an ostensibly simple subject--a video of The Beatles I Am The Walrus--and turned it into a bramble of shredded wheat. This is an example of music influencing music influencing more music. Nonetheless, as great as Sgt. Pepper is, I happen to like the follow on album more, while in no way detracting from Sgt. Pepper's monolithic and lasting influence (likewise for Pet Sounds).



The Walrus
by John Lennon and Paul McCartney


I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.
See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly.
I'm crying.

Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come.
Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday.
MAN, you been a naughty boy, and let your face grow long.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus,
coo coo c'choo

Mister City P'liceman sitting
Pretty little policemen in a row.
See how they fly like Lucy in the Sky, see how they run.
I'm crying. I'm cry------------ing,
I'm crying. I'm cry------------ing.

Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye.
Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess,
Boy, you been a naughty girl and let your Knickers down.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus,
coo coo c'choo

Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun.
If the sun don't come, you get a tan
From standing in the English rain.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus,
coo coo c'choo coo coo c'choo

Expert texpert choking smokers,
Don't you think the joker laughs at you? (ho ho ho, he, he he, ha, ha, ha)
See how they smile like pigs in a sty, see how they snide.
I'm crying.

Semolina Pilchard, climbing up the Eiffel Tower.
Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna.
Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus,
coo coo c'choo, coo coo coo c'choo, coo coo c'choo, c'choo coo c'choo c'choo
(rhythmical speaking along with juba's).
Juba juba juba, juba, juba, juba, juba, juba, juba juba. Juba juba.....
(speaking)

--Repeat (eventually juba's will stop) and fade until end.--
during the fade out background vocals:
[Simultaneously:] 'Everybody smokes pot' and 'Oompa, oompa, stick it up your joompa' [jumper]
---o0o---
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