Carnival of Light

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For the album by the band Ride, see Carnival of Light (album).
“Carnival of Light”
Song by the Beatles
Released Unreleased
Recorded January 5, 1967
Genre Psychedelic rock, musique concrète, experimental music
Length 13:48
Writer Lennon/McCartney
Producer George Martin

"Carnival of Light" is an unreleased experimental piece by The Beatles. It was recorded on January 5, 1967, after the vocal overdubbing sessions for Penny Lane. The track was created for The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave, an event held at the Roundhouse Theatre on January 28 and February 4, 1967. Some people claim that it was around thirteen minutes long, and Paul McCartney has said it was around fifteen minutes. (In The Complete Beatles Chronicle it's listed as lasting 13 minutes and 48 seconds.)

Contents

[edit] History

The genesis of the track came in December 1966 from designer David Vaughan (part of the designer trio Binder, Edwards & Vaughan), who had recently painted a psychedelic design on a piano owned by Paul McCartney. About the same time as he delivered the piano to McCartney's Cavendish Avenue address, he asked if McCartney would contribute a musical piece for the upcoming The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave. To Vaughan’s surprise McCartney agreed to make a contribution.

[edit] The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave

The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave (sometimes referred to as The Carnival of Light Rave) was an art festival organised by Binder, Edwards & Vaughan as a showcase for electronic music and light shows. It was held at the Chalk Farm Road Roundhouse Theatre and featured on the bill not only a public playing of 'Carnival of Light' but performances by Unit Delta Plus, whose members included early electronic music pioneers Delia Derbyshire, Brian Hodgson from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and fellow electronic artist Peter Zinovieff.

[edit] Recording

Beatles expert Mark Lewisohn, who listened to the song in 1987 while compiling his book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, says the song included "distorted, hypnotic drum and organ sounds, a distorted lead guitar, the sound of a church organ, various effects (water gargling was one) and, perhaps most intimidating of all, John Lennon and McCartney screaming dementedly and bawling aloud random phrases like "Are you alright?" and "Barcelona!"[1]

Barry Miles, the official McCartney biographer, wrote in Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now that the song had "no rhythm, although a beat is sometimes established for a few bars by the percussion or a rhythmic pounding piano. There is no melody, although snatches of a tune sometimes threaten to break through."

The basic bed track of an organ playing bass notes and drums was recorded at a slow speed, giving them a deeper sound. There is also a huge amount of reverb used on the instruments and on Lennon's and McCartney's vocals (the only two voices on the track); Lennon and McCartney also recorded Native American war cries, whistling, close-miked gasping, genuine coughing and fragments of studio conversation. Other overdubs to the song include bursts of guitar feedback, schmaltzy cinema organ, snatches of jangling pub piano and electronic feedback with Lennon shouting 'Electricity!' The track concludes with McCartney asking the studio engineer in an echo-soaked voice, "Can we hear it back now?"

Also, according to Barry Miles, musically it "resembles "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" from Frank Zappa 's Freak Out! album, except there is no rhythm and the music ... is more fragmented, abstract and serious."

Dudley Edwards (one of the organizers of The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave and friend of McCartney's) said that an early take of "Fixing a Hole" (from Sgt. Pepper's) with a piano appeared during the song.[2] Although it is unlikely a sample of an early take was heard (since the recording of "Fixing a Hole" did not commence until February 9th - five days after the last The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave). It is, however, not unlikely that McCartney could have played a few bars of the song on the track.

[edit] The mix

Although Lewisohn's book says that a rough mono mix was given to Vaughan, Miles claims that the mix down “was made with full stereo separation, and is an exercise in musical layers and textures”. Whether a second mix was made after the event or Vaughan was in fact given a stereo mix which was not logged in Abbey Road’s records is unknown. Edwards has said the tape was taken to America by one Ray Anderson (who was brought over from the U.S. to assist with the light show). The master session tapes of Carnival of Light are still at Abbey Road Studios.

[edit] Unreleased

"Carnival of Light" has not yet appeared on any release, either official or a bootleg recording. In 1996 McCartney tried to release the track on the compilation album The Beatles Anthology 2. But it was "George" who voted to reject it. According to McCartney, the reason being was that "he didn't like avant garde music" and felt it was more a Lennon and McCartney track rather than a Beatles song. It is not clear whether the George in question is George Harrison or George Martin, especially considering Harrison had created avant-garde music as a solo composer (in 1969 he released an experimental album using the then new Moog synthesizer called Electronic Sound, and dabbled in the avant-garde with a couple of his Beatles compositions). This, according to some, explains why the instrumental backings of "Eleanor Rigby" and "Within You Without You" appear on Anthology 2 instead.

In August 1996, McCartney claimed (in an interview for Mojo) that he was working on a photo collage film of the Beatles that was similar to a film made about the Grateful Dead in 1995 called Grateful Dead -- A Photo Film. He was planning to use "Carnival of Light" in the soundtrack, but, as of 2007, this project has yet to be seen and McCartney has not commented on the film's status since 2002.

[edit] Phony "bootleg" on filesharing networks

A minute-long mp3 file of backwards, sped up electric guitar noises showed up on filesharing networks under the title of "Carnival of Light." Unfortunately, this track was a misnamed partial track (originally 1 minute 9 seconds long) by the Lord of Boothferry, a very keen Beatles-related music collector. It was recorded mid-2000, using a damaged Hondo guitar, on a digital eight-track machine, and was released under a pseudonym on Napster. The track was a response to misnamed files on filesharing networks that made outrageous claims. Although not released as "Carnival Of Light," once circulating the name of the file was changed by various fans to fit descriptions of this unreleased composition. A follow-up track named "Joker's Relief" did not gain such a "following" or misnaming.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Lewisohn (1988), p.192
  2. ^ This came from a post from Dudley Edwards on the well known Beatles fan site Abbeyrd's Beatle Page.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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