The Smiley Smile Message Board

What is the master take of "Ticket to Ride," were there any overdubs, and is the final track instrumental "available" anywhere.

Don't know, most likely no, no idea.

from Lewisohn's "The Complete Beatles Chronicle":

Monday Feb 15 1965:

"...Work this day began at 2:30pm with the recording of two takes of John's Ticket to Ride and the song was completed and ready for mixing by 5:45."
"Ticket to Ride was the result of much more work than the two- take figure would suggest, with- from this year- overdubs onto the multitrack tape not being given separate numbers as before. Here, the Beatles twice taped a rhythm track (the first was a "false start", the second was "best") and then recorded any number of overdubs- numbers were never specified on recording documents- onto vacant tracks of the tape, perfecting vocals and anything else that they felt needed more attention."


It was mixed three days later into mono on Feb 18.

Buy the book Josh, I ain't typing no more, it costs like 8 bucks!

Thanks.  Perhaps I will buy the book.

Me typing all that costs more than this! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0681028904/sr=8-1/qid=1140469293/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-6825153-3547214?%5Fencoding=UTF8)

Beck, that's the daily Chronicle, not the sessions book.  Both are awesome, but Josh wants the sessions...

There's a few odd alternate mixes for "Ticket To Ride," and a tape of the master take that continues on longer than where the record fades out, but as far as I know, no instrumental track has surfaced.

I haven't read Sessions-- but Chronicle contains a lot of the same right? That's where my quote came from, Jeff. Taken as a whole, with their tour and other media excursions included, it paints a mighty picture of a hardworking group.

Didn't Lennon say later on, that if mixed louder, "Ticket" was the first metal record?

I think he said it was the first metal record, as is.

Not nearly the same depth of analysis and exposition.  The sessions book sets the standard while the chronicles book just gives you the highlights.  If I had to pick one of the two to buy, it would be a no-brainer -- the sessions.

Pricier book, though:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0681031891/qid=1140472418/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-9430485-0981452?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

 :o :o :o :o :o :o

Are you shocked that he hasn't read the sessions book or that he thinks the Beatles were hard workers?

Hasn't read Sessions.

Yeah, I thought the same thing.  That is LITERALLY the "If you only own one Beatles book own this" book, and that trumps a lot of good competition.  That and Jorgenson's sessions book for Elvis set the standard and set it high.  Wish that a book like that existed for the Beach Boys.

Yep, you said it!
Getting that book was a defining moment in my life.

Oh, and Dave, the sessions book breaks down Ticket to Ride track by track on the tape to tell you what parts are on which track. 

Track one: bass and drums
Track two: rhythm and lead guitar (probably these were the two "live" tracks?)
Track three: John's lead
Track four: tambourine, guitars and harmonies.

Paul played both bass and lead guitar.  No comment if that lead is on track two or four, though...

Yeah, I should probably get on that. I wrongly assumed Chronicles was an expanded Sessions.

Ticket To Ride is one of the saddest songs the Beatles ever did.

Pure brilliance.

It's actually one track I don't care about the sessions all that much, for some reason it's maybe the only track I'll hear as perfection, without caring as much how they arrived there.

The main thing I would love to hear, pure fantasy speculation, would be a home tape of Lennon singing the song as the sad ballad it really is without the pop gloss.

To me, the Carpenters version perfectly captures the sadness of the song.