EXTRA TEXTURE

“I’ve chosen three pieces that I remember loving and then stumbling trying to play along to — as either the fifth or sixth Beatle, counting Sir George Martin. So I’m the Fab Sixth, usually failing, then shown the door along with Pete Best! Those songs were ‘Help!’, ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’ and ‘Something.’ There’s nothing too obscure going on, but it’s all challenging — at least for me, especially when attempting George’s licks in front of any of the billions of listeners and guitarists who know his solo guitar parts and melodies by heart. Mistakes are not an option, but in my case… inevitable! I’m a songwriter, not a true studio session man… Help! The solo on ‘Something’ is great. There’s a great story in Geoff Emerick’s book [] about the ‘Something’ solo and how George came in and nailed it in one take. Also, his quirky slide playing was unique and copied by lots of players, especially Mike Campbell.