Lennon

[54strat]

Remembering John Lennon today. Highly under rated as a guitarist. Of course we now know that McCartney played some solos, mainly on his own songs, that way back then a lot of people assumed George played. But Lennon had some moments too.
I read that short little, jazzy solo on "Honey Pie" was Lennon. And during the roof top performance, when George had pretty must lost interest in being a Beatle, John does the solos. George said in the 1987 Guitar Player interview that one of the things he was most proud of was the twin guitar parts he and Lennon did on "And Your Bird Can Sing".

[leadguy]

First time I saw the rooftop video I was surprised to see John take the Get Back solo.

[54strat]

He was not the greatest lead player in the world but his rhythm parts make the songs happen. And his finger picking on "White Album" songs like "Julia" and "Dear Prudence" are fabulous! In the "Let It Be" movie his lap slide guitar solo, using a cigarette lighter, on "For You Blue" is pretty cool.

[bdc]

"I dig a Pony" is maximum riffage........

[leadguy]

I read (don't know how true) that the reason John is playing lead on Get Back is because George left the Beatles just before and John worked out the solo and the chorus guitar fills played around McCartney singing Get Back which are simple A7 and D7 riffs but are great.

I also read that the great Paperback Writer riff is John and George playing the riff at the same time and is pretty overdriven for the time.
Paperback Writer is a McCartney song and maybe Paul came up with the riff.

The great Daytripper riff was John's riff as well as was most of the song.

There is also the great opening multi layered chord of Hard Days Night and the unresolved sounding end as well.

These riffs might not mean much to some but at the time in the 60s some of these riffs were ground breaking and bands like Sabbath and Purple etc were all influenced by them.

[Ydna]

I think the Daytripper riff is just a basic bluesish riff. You can hear it in one of the songs on the Beano album.

[leadguy]

I guess Lennon's Daytripper riff came first and then EC liked it enough that he picked up on it.
It is a Blues like riff and it's a Blues like riff in a pop song that got played on the radio and dudes like Gene Simmons etc would have heard it on the radio when they were young because it was a pop song. Gene is a big Beatles fan as are just about all the 70s rockers and they heard Blues riffs in pop songs and Daytripper and Paperback Writer are early Blues/Rock riffs in pop songs.
Did Lennon or McCartney get the riffs or some of the riffs from an old Blues record, who knows, but they helped to spread some Blues stuff into the pop world.

Daytripper

Recorded 16 October 1965

Released 3 December 1965 (UK)
6 December 1965 (US)

---------------------------------

Blues Breakers (Beano)

Recorded April 1966

Released July 1966

"What'd I Say" (Ray Charles; interpolating "Day Tripper" by John Lennon/Paul McCartney)

[NY Chief]

.....just a basic bluesish riff.

[fillmore nyc]

.....just a basic bluesish riff.

[Ydna]

For some reason I always assumed the Beano album was early 60s. So yea, that was pretty stupid.

[fillmore nyc]

For some reason I always assumed the Beano album was early 60s. So yea, that was pretty stupid.

Nah, not stupid, bro... it WAS recorded in April '66, so you were close. Its a brain fart!! Happens to the best of us!!

[leadguy]

Nothing really stupid about it at all.

Seems like EC met the Beatles when he was in the Yardbirds so this would probably be before March 1965 so maybe EC had access to the Daytripper riff with Lennon's blessing seeing that they had contact with each other and of course EC played on While My Guitar Gently Weeps and worked with Lennon.