Grow Old With Me (3rd remix now up)

[JoeWadley]

I'm not sure if this was a real tambourine but rather John's drums rhythm box.

No just an ordinary grade school tambourine. He rattles it at the end.

I love the double-tracked vocals. I love both versions.

Listened to the second version again today but did not like it much. Maybe it's the mix. I'll try a different mix.

Since the piano track are available as single-tracked vocals without the rhythm box, a version with John's "true" piano playing enhanced with A.I or EQ'ed is not possible ?

I did restore the demo into stereo on Evolver but it's the way the piano is so out of tune that is the problem. I can't understand why a multi millionaire was playing on a dreadful old banger like that one. Great for very old jazz and blues tunes but not for a delicate ballad.

I think that the smartest part of the strings arrangement for "How?" was the strings+keyboard arrangement for the "You know life can be long and you got to be so strong". It's so powerful.
The main strings arrangement for "How?" always reminds me the part for "The Long And Winding Road".

"Grow Old With Me" :I think I like the single-tracked vocal version better (I have listen to both with headphones).
I'm not sure it's a real tambourine (I have noticed it since "Milk & Honey" came out). I'm almost sure that is John's drum-machine and that he changed the "drum" pattern near the end. Since it was a double-tracked take he did not play guitar over it or double the piano.
I don't remember if this was a Casio or a Sony drum machine and the exact drum machine it was but it was something very rudimentary even for the late 70's.
Fred Seaman played some percussions on some Bermudas demos (perhaps a jam with Julian with one day surfaced ?) such as (Darling) Beautiful Boy (Fred Seaman told the story in his book).
And yes, it's one of the paradox of someone like John Lennon; Beatles were so sophisticated in studio recording and you have someone who could afford an home studio (perhaps even record a studio album while being "confined" at the Dakota) and even though he bother to double-tracked the vocals of many of his demos through the seventies (I Know, I Know on Mind Games) to the Dakota demos.
Such a mystery.
These days almost every musician du dimanche with some money can have a home studio using a Mac way more sophisticated that Mr Lennon, but apparently John did not care. Humility ? Or nonchalance ? I don't believe he was lazy because he really took time to overdubs his demos. So he really took it seriously.
And I'm really surprised that someone like Yoko Ono who used to play classical music did not bother to ask someone to tune up the upright piano at the Dakota (that's probably the one he used; there are several photos taken with John playing this upright piano).

For "Grow Old With Me" I think John started to compose the song on guitar (we have 2 takes on HMC, probably the very first take on HMC "Borrowed Time", a further attempt on "At Home" HMC.
Lennon probably reworked later the song on piano, that's certainly at that point he "recycled" the piano intro of "Memories" (which was initially "Tennessee" with a bridge which reminds me "Carry That Weight" for the melody ("sometimes I see the daylight has come too soon...")

I think John had very little technological aptitude/patience. So he just played the first track and played along with it to record an overdub. He could never have done Paul did with the McCartney I and II records, or even George did with demos in his home studio. It just wasn’t his thing. And, as you said, these were just demos. If John wanted to make a homemade album he would have needed to have someone work the tape machine for him. It just wasn’t in his wheelhouse.

[MP3J]

Lovely thanks!

[Lord Reith]

Is Lennon a bit out of tune here? I really don't have great ears for that sort of thing and so am asking!

Yes, he is. The double tracked voice helps hide it a bit on the second mix.

beautiful - i wished this were Paul on piano and bass and Ringo on drums. You did a great job.

Thanks, but didn't I mention that it IS Paul and Ringo? They came round to supper the other day. After the meal, we recorded this and then smoked a hookah and listened to Peace Of Mind.

I think John had very little technological aptitude/patience. So he just played the first track and played along with it to record an overdub. He could never have done Paul did with the McCartney I and II records, or even George did with demos in his home studio. It just wasn’t his thing. And, as you said, these were just demos. If John wanted to make a homemade album he would have needed to have someone work the tape machine for him. It just wasn’t in his wheelhouse.

I think it was Paul who first set up a home studio wasn't it? John's first elaborate demos date from 1966 I think, just after Paul had moved into his new house and I'm sure I remember hearing or reading something about John getting the idea from Paul. But Paul was probably more on the ball technically whereas John just worked intuitively, and so despite being rich and having a room full of expensive equipment he just stuck a microphone in front of a speaker playback to overdub something. Clearly Magic Alex fell down here. Why didn't Alex show John how to hook up a simple four channel microphone mixer, or make him one out of a toilet?

[Rupert Pupkin]

I think John had very little technological aptitude/patience. So he just played the first track and played along with it to record an overdub. He could never have done Paul did with the McCartney I and II records, or even George did with demos in his home studio. It just wasn’t his thing. And, as you said, these were just demos. If John wanted to make a homemade album he would have needed to have someone work the tape machine for him. It just wasn’t in his wheelhouse.

yeah you totally right. John was impatient. Had someone (Yoko) or John would have had the opportunity to have an home studio at the Dakota with a multitrack recording, he would have taped his demos on this. Had he be a filmmaker, he would have used a camera and do a movie with photographs like Chris Maker with "La Jetée" (which was "remake" by Terry Gilliam ("12 Monkeys").
What strikes me is that there are a lot of musicians which would think : I have to get some "gear" before starting to record anything.

[Onkster II]

Losing Lennon’s piano really helps…we don’t have the clutter of it popping in and out.

I can really hear the stand up bass now which I couldn’t discern at all before.

I do find the tempo too slow for me but when I did the 8% boost in Audacity, it made the lead vocal sound less like John for some reason. Hoping somebody else had better results than I did.

[badfinger54]

Both uploads say "500 SERVER ERROR" now. I missed them. Can someone re-up? Thank you.

[Lord Reith]

Losing Lennon’s piano really helps…we don’t have the clutter of it popping in and out.

I can really hear the stand up bass now which I couldn’t discern at all before.

I do find the tempo too slow for me but when I did the 8% boost in Audacity, it made the lead vocal sound less like John for some reason. Hoping somebody else had better results than I did.

I think you're talking about Real Love?

Both uploads say "500 SERVER ERROR" now. I missed them. Can someone re-up? Thank you.

They seem to be okay now.

[badfinger54]

Yes, they are. I didn't realize it was that well-known service...I guess they were having a little temporary trouble (I tried two browsers). Thanks.

[theboxinargentina]

Is Lennon a bit out of tune here?

Yes, he is. The double tracked voice helps hide it a bit on the second mix.

Knowing your preferences in tool use I'm afraid to ask you to put it in tune, so I won't!

[Lord Reith]

Knowing your preferences in tool use I'm afraid to ask you to put it in tune, so I won't!

Can't be done I'm afraid. It can only be replaced.