Bartron Tyler Group
Yesterday Never Knows
Unique guitar-based instrumental arrangements of Beatles tunes.
From 1993 to 2009, BTG have released five collections of music.
The most popular and successful track that we have recorded
was a cover of The Beatles‘ “Don‘t Let Me Down“.
It appeared on our 2003 release, Like A Metaphor.
Why quit a winner?
Here’s a whole album‘s worth of the familiar.
I’LL FOLLOW THE SUN
A favorite Paul McCartney tune, originally recorded in 1964, but actually written in 1959, during the Cavern Club era. Can you possibly imagine having this song on the shelf for five years? BTG welds this tune onto the riff and groove of George Harrison’s “Taxman”, from the 1966 album Revolver. The first bridge pops by for tea at John Lennon’s “Strawberry Fields ... ”. After the climax of the fourth guitar solo... yeah that’s right, the fourth guitar solo. There are three letters in BTG , and two thirds of them represent guitarist’s initials, so there’s bound to be plenty of soloing guitars. (In this case, a blistering electric slide; followed by a wacky acoustic; more blistering slide, this time on a 12 string; capped off by a multi-tracked backwards flashback.) Anyway, after the psychedelic crescendo of the final solo fades into the second bridge, BTG transmogrifies the melody of “I’ll Follow The Sun” into the all-acoustic environment of “And I Love Her”. The intro and outro feature King Crimson-esque variations on the original “..Sun” riff.
The drums at the end are the drums at “The End”.
NOWHERE MAN
Working in the fall of 1965 to finish off the songs for the Rubber Soul album, John Lennon was beset with a mild case of “Incredibly Talented And Successful Young Superstar Trying To Pen Another Smash Hit” writer’s block. Beginning to feel less and less Fab, Lennon sits for hours watching the pool sweep going ‘round and ‘round, and is inspired to write the first ever Beatles original that wasn’t a love song. The lyrics are steeped in melancholy, yet the original recording has an up-tempo feel, shimmering with ultra tight pop harmonies and the jangliest of guitars. Now that’s art.
While keeping the jingle and jangle, BTG sets this tune to a slow waltz to distill the emotional nature of the piece. The lead melody is played on an electric guitar, while the harmonies are provided by slide guitar. The drums and bass demonstrate that a pocket can be picked. A mandolin is added to brighten up the shadowy corners of the groove.
ELEANOR RIGBY
One of the most famous and respected compositions in rock history. The original recording is as close to perfection as any before or since. A piece that has been arranged for orchestras, choirs, jazz groups, and played at some time by every high school concert band in the world. What could you guys possibly bring to the table for this one?
We could try setting it in 6/8, with a groove that is infused with both a Latin Jazz feel and wisps of London fog. We could create a melodic dialogue between the acoustic and electric guitar. We could have the guitars develop one of the song’s signature string parts, offsetting and overlapping the lines to be used both as an intro and a dynamic interlude in the middle of the arrangement. We could follow that up with four more guitar solos!!! (This time we’ll start with a Michael Hedges inspired acoustic; then how about checking out the rides in Whammy Land?; a slippery synth guitar can fit in here too; top it off with some ripping electric lines.)
All the while the rhythm section propels the piece with power, taste and precision. Plenty of percussion peppers this arrangement, while the bass engages in interplay with everybody.
BECAUSE
A Beatle Myth...
As John Lennon told it:
Yoko is at the piano tinkling through some Beethoven.(Since this is a fantasy, I feel certain that it sounded brilliant.) John asks her to play it backwards.
Voila! A classic is created.
While the chords are inspired by, and do resemble, “Moonlight Sonata”, Lennon didn’t let the truth get in the way of a good story. A classic none the less.
Set now in a moody shuffle, brought to fruition by Indian tablas, the arpeggios are played on bass, doubled with a Mellotron cello. The exquisite vocal harmonies of the original recording are translated here by some ultra clean three part slide guitar overdubbing. Add some piano, add some acoustic guitar, the tablas are joined by brushes on a snare, the synth solo from the original is played on bass.
A change of habit, or...the nun less a classic?
BLACKBIRD
A performance staple for BTG since 1992, this entry from the White Album has gone through many iterations over the years. Most currently, the Ebony Avian finds herself breaking out of her shell inside a smoky club located in the French Quarter of post-Katrina New Orleans. (www.katrinarelief.org) Once again the slide guitar provides the vocal melody while Paul Mac’s original acoustic guitar inversions are kneaded like Beignet dough, and stretched to fit the churning groove laid down by the drums and bass.
For this arrangement, we present for your listening pleasure, not just four guitar solos, but six! The crystal tone of the slide contrasting with a dirty electric tremolo.
After a restatement of the bridge and verse, the clouds gather and a gentle quote of “Rain” begins to fall
Welcome to the Yesterday Never Knows Film Festival.
(Tickets still available, redeemable in your imagination.)
Act I: Medley
BOY MEETS GIRL (Mother Nature's Son / Girl)
The scene is set at SFO. A graying musician daydreams himself to a patch of shade beside a sunny glade. A small stream gurgles through this Son’s field of grass. The soundtrack? An acoustic guitar accompanied by a shaker. The arrangement calls for every opportune harmonic to be utilized, every open string required to ring.
The dream is interrupted, and the bustle of the airport returns the guitarist to reality. Insecure in security... he sees her. Is she the type of girl he’ll want so much she’ll make him sorry, still he won’t regret a single day? Once again open strings and harmonics, as well as rhythmic variations and inverted bouzouki riffs are the order of the day. “Mother Nature’s Son” is reprised as the sun sets, a chain saw roars, and the brook’s babbling fades into the sounds of a chic café in Paris…….
Act II: Remembrance
IN MY LIFE
Ever since the first shot of espresso was pulled and the first pitcher of milk was steamed musicians have been accompanied by the now so familiar sounds of hissing wands, clanking dishes, and caffeinated chatter of the café scene.
This experienced, charming duo of bass and accordion shrug off the noise, and concentrate on expressing the sense of longing for the past found in John Lennon’s lyrics.
Voted in 1999 as the greatest pop song of the millennium, this melody demands a level of emotion that can only be culled from personal experience. Now’s the time for the bass to utilize every harmonic technique available. Rich voicing’s and subtle chord substitutions colour the musical reminiscing. George Martin’s memorable keyboard solo is split between the accordion and bass, and a quote from “Please Please Me” fades into the background noise as the talk in the café turn to current events……
Act III: Montage.
FLYING
Ever since the first shot of espresso was pulled and the first pitcher of milk was steamed cafes have been a place of intellectual debate, often centering on the topic of religion. The “Revolution #9” inspired, sound effects laden, introduction to “Flying” adds one more short conversation to the mix. Enjoy the ride and watch your step…
The BTG take on this somewhat obscure instrumental track from the“ Magical Mystery Tour” film is a mix of reproducing actual Beatle tones used on the original recording, augmented with whatever else we felt sounded cool. Volume pedal and guitar synth for the melody, while the tremolo guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, Mellotron, and Rickenbacker bass cop their parts straight from the record. The Mellotron part morphs into Ebow guitars as the singing of the melody is double, triple, and quadruple tracked to diffuse our vocal insecurities.
After an orbit or two, the extended ending features variations on the jazzy piano improvisation that occurs during the fade out of the recording of “Magical Mystery Tour”. I believe the term “flashback” was used earlier……
Act IV: Denouement.
I DON’T WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY
Every arrangement needs an angle. That was the pronouncement at the start of this project. No piece on this album has a clearer, or more clever spin than this:
What if…….instead of writing and recording the instrumental rock classic “Jessica”, the Allman Brothers put their talents to an almost obscure Lennon track from 1964’s The Beatles For Sale?
Since they didn't do that, let's do it ourselves!
Tight guitar harmonies, a relentlessly grooving rhythm section, Hammond organ, the “Hard Day’s Night” Gsus11 chord and a host of other quotes are all on display here. Does the song need a second bridge? How about a bridge from the past? The bass and drums quote the intro from Abbey Road‘s “Come Together” during the breakdown before the solo section. What’s this? Only two guitar solos on this track? With a Hammond solo sandwiched between them.
The first solo is an acoustic guitar double tracked with another acoustic recorded at half speed achieving a demented mandolin effect. This is followed by the aforementioned Hammond organ tearing through the changes while a tasty electric guitar brings it home.
As the final melodies tumble into to an extended Southern Rock ending, we find that the arrangers have saved some more Beatle Bits to finish with: the huge guitar break that is played at the beginning of the space out ending of “Strawberry Fields Forever” is harmonized Allman style, leading into the fade on still more guitar from “A Hard Day’s Night”
(Kevin, we've saved a seat for you...on the last train out.)
Fin.
GOODBYE
Written by Paul McCartney in 1968 for Apple Records artist, Mary Hopkins. The Travis picking acoustic guitar and the melodic phrasing of the lap steel is straight from a demo recorded by Sir Paul. We insert the guitar solo from his McCartney album’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” into the arrangement as a bridge. Mandolin and shoe box percussion round out this back porch ensemble.
DON’T LET ME DOWN
"...for a peek into the ingenuity and heart of the ensemble, listen to how the guys inerpret The Beatles' Don't Let Me Down"
Michael Molenda, Editor-in-Chief, Guitar Player Magazine.
Recorded in 2002 and previously released on Like A Metaphor, this rendition of Lennon's 1969 B-side to "Get Back" has been a Sunday morning staple in San Francisco on KFOG's Acoustic Sunrise ever since, and remains a set crowd pleaser to this day. Re-mastered in 2009 for this project, this track sounds better than ever and is full of the spirit that we tried to bring to this entire album.
And yes… there are guitar solos.
Rock: Instrumental Rock