Hey Jude (Versions 1 to 3)

Beatles’ hit notches two million — film for world showing, TV tribute

THE Beatles have filmed promotional clips on their new hit single — one on “Hey Jude,” and the other on the flip side “ Revolution.” The former was screened unexpectedly in London Weekend TV’s “Frost On Sunday” this week — announced by David Frost as “live,” but in fact filmed the previous Wednesday. Negotiations were finalised on Wednesday for this same clip to be featured in BBC-1’s “Top Of The Pops” yesterday (Thursday) and again on September 26, and for the “Revolution” sequence to be included in Thursday’s show (19). Southern-TV has also acquired the “Revolution” clip for the special edition of “Time For Blackburn” on September 21, which is being planned as a tribute to the Beatles.

The group has already won a Gold Disc for U.S. sales of the single — this week, “Hey Jude” stands at No. 10 in the “Billboard” Hot 100, and “Revolution” at No. 38. A spokesman for the group told the NME that world sales had already topped the two-million mark.

The two promotional clips on the new single were filmed in colour, and are being distributed on the international market. It is expected they will be incorporated into several U.S. TV shows, including the Ed Sullivan series.

Southern-TVs “Time For Blackburn” on September 21 will be devoted entirely to Lennon-McCartney compositions. Grapefruit, Long John Baldry, John Walker, P. P. Arnold and Tony Blackburn will perform numbers of their own choosing, and the “Revolution” clip will climax the show.

From New Musical Express – September 14, 1968

MAL’S DIARIES

[…] On previous occasions in the past year or two, The Beatles had made little films showing themselves recording, walking around and so forth with their record playing in the background. Naturally, some of these ran into trouble with the telly people because the fellows came pretty close to miming sometimes, and THAT is a terrible Deadly Sin so far as the unions are concerned. You are not allowed to mine to records on telly.

This time The Beatles decided to avoid all the problems by producing a full-scale LIVE performance, done in colour, at Twickenham Film Studios and intended for showing all over the world.

The day before Neil and Suzie got married at the end of August, I was asked to start making all the shooting arrangements with Michael Lindsay-Hogg, a television and film director who has been involved in plenty of big pop shows in the past.

It was Thursday night. By the following Wednesday we had to get together the technical crew, no less than 300 extras and a 36-piece orchestra. In between there was the August bank holiday week-end, which meant it was hard to get hold of half the people we needed to reach to set things up.

How did we get that code of 300 extras together? We got 20 students to distribute invitation leaflets for us. The result was that all sorts of walks of life were represented – postmen, railwaymen, teenagers, senior citizens. I recruited a bunch of Beatle people from outside the recording studio and told them they would be welcome to join us all at Twickenham and bring along a few mates.

Paul decided he would like a ‘twenties atmosphere at Twickenham so the musicians of the orchestra were dressed up in smart white tuxedos and colourful carnations for the occasion.

And very evident amongst the gathered – together 300 was old Billy from Soho. Billy is a real character. If you’ve walked around Wardour Street or Old Compton Street in Soho you may have seen him, possibly with a bottle on his head, selling or giving away flowers. And like as not, he will have pulled out a photograph he’s very proud of. It was taking months ago and shows him with The Beatles in a film cutting room – when the fellows editing “Magical Mystery Tour”. The photo went into the Daily Mirror at the time. So old Billy just had to be in on the “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” filming.

The Beatles arrived at Twickenham around lunchtime – 1:30 PM. The line-up was Paul, playing an upright piano, George on bass, John on guitar and Ringo on drums. PLUS the 36-piece orchestra PLUS 300 singing extras to join in the big build-up on “Hey Jude” towards the end of the number.

While lights and cameras were being set up, Paul entertained on the piano. He hadn’t really planned to do so, but old Billy came up on to the stage and yelled, “Come on, Paul, give us some of the good old songs”. And Paul did just that! […]

Mal Evans – From The Beatles Monthly Book, October 1968, N°63

HOW ALIVE IS LIVE? – Frost’s Sunday Beatles did their part on Wednesday

When David Frost introduced the Beatles on his Sunday night TV show, were you among those who thought he meant they were appearing “live” that very instant?

They were not. The Beatles’ version of their current hit: “Hey, Jude” was recorded four days earlier… by Apple, the group’s own marketing organisation. It was made in colour at Twickenham studios for world-wide sale. And the very same recording is likely to be shown on BBC’s “Top of the Pops” on Thursday. Both Frost’s London Weekend Television and the BBC are paying for the right to screen it.

To be fair, Frost was at Twickenham when the television recording was made. His introduction, again recorded by Apple, will naturally be missing from the recording offered to the rest of the world… including the BBC.

So how live is live? London Weekend were adamant last night… A spokesman said: “This was a live performance by the Beatles at a studio, recorded a few days before it was screened.“

A SPOKESMAN for the Beatles said last night: “This was a live performance before a live audience — even though it was recorded for later TV-showing. But it was live, compared with lots of artists who have their discs played on Television to a film accompaniment of them jumping in the air, walking on the seashore, riding on horseback or scooters. The Beatles were accompanied in the studio by 300 extras and a thirty-six-piece orchestra. This was a live performance.”

What do TV’s pop men think about the issue?

Johnnie Stewart, producer of “Top of Pops,” said: “I don’t think the public could care less.”

Because of a ruling by the Musicians’ Union, groups and solo singers are no longer allowed to mime to their own records. But they can use a backing track of their latest hit recorded earlier at the TV studios. If extra musicians have to be brought in, then the whole performance must be pre-recorded, including the voices. So don’t be fooled when you see a singer with a microphone on the screen. He may not be singing into it. Even though the implication is that he is.

But who cares? asks Johnnie Stewart. “A group may make a record with ten members of an orchestra. But the label on the disc doesn’t say so. This is all part of the very complicated pop scene. If you hear a group playing a date at your local cinema, or club, they will probably sound very different to the way they do on their disc. Recording involves all sorts of jiggery-pokery, like echo-chambers and voices that have been over-tracked three times. I don’t think it matters. The general public couldn’t care less if the artists are appearing live, miming, or standing on their heads.”

My only comment is that if they don’t, they ought to.

It’s time that the TV boys stopped these tactics. And in the pop field, it’s very simple to play the game.

If a singer is seen using a microphone, then it is reasonable to suppose that the sound we hear— good, bad, or indifferent — is his own and made at that very moment. And if somebody — David Frost, David Jacobs or Uncle Tom Cobbleigh — says that, you’re seeing something “live,” then let it be truly live. Not something put in the can a day, a week, or a year earlier.

From Daily Mirror – September 10, 1968