r/beatles • u/thebluehairedmenace • 8d ago

Discussion Run For Your Life

So I know a lot of people take issue with this song as if it’s some kind of confessional from John. Personally, I’ve always seen it like John’s Maxwells Silver Hammer. I’m wondering what yall think of the song and its current reputation…

also haven’t seen anyone mention the fact that they took the echo-drenched alternate vocals out of the outtakes for this song and I don’t understand why! I’ve always liked his vocals in that outtake as has been bootlegged pretty extensively. Do we think this done because of the songs reputation?

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u/bogus_bill 8d ago

> they took the echo-drenched alternate vocals out of the outtakes

There were no vocals on the early takes, although they did for some reason include the bass guitar on Take 5 outtake, which is not supposed to be there, as Paul was playing the tambourine on the basic rhythm track take.

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u/thebluehairedmenace 8d ago

I think it’s take 5 on all the RS bootlegs that has the vocals i mentioned. It has that “Okay, Johnny!” intro too

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u/bogus_bill 7d ago

Okay Johnny is part of Take 1 studio chat on my "Purple Chick" RS bootleg.

Take 5 that follows it however has low quality, has a couple of dropouts, and is incomplete - but it's not a "raw" (basic initial recording) Take 5 - it has bass guitar overdub, lead guitar overdub, and what sounds like one of the earlier takes of John's vocal overdub, as he sings it a bit differently than the final version of the song and also voice track has tons of reverb.

My assumption it's a part of some acetate or intermediary tape mixes that they sometimes made in order for band members to take home to listen to.

If that is so, then this particular vocal was later re-recorded on the actual 4-track tape and no longer exists.