BABY’S IN BLACK
Lennon/McCartney | Beatles for Sale (1964)
PAUL GILBERT: “‘Baby’s in Black’ has plenty of loud Everly Brothers-style vocals from John and Paul, so it took me a while to notice the details of George’s guitar playing. But when I focused on the lead guitar, there were great discoveries to be made! Primarily… whammy bar, and lots of it! The last breakdown verse is especially cool, as George follows the chord changes with singlestring rhythmic whammy bar dips. The guitar theme that begins the song and repeats throughout has a nice whammy dip ending as well. As is so often the case with Beatle-y things, the creativity lies not in athletic feats, but in supporting the song with memorable hooks, melodies and tones. George’s tone is punchy, clean and very country/western. It makes me wish that I had both a cowboy hat and a Fender amp. Actually, I have both of those. Maybe it’s the Gretsch I need. Or at least a Bigsby on my Ibanez! Let’s get back to the playing: The main guitar solo doesn’t leave George much time for licks, as it’s only one chorus long. But he manages to hit all the chord changes (which whip by faster than most rock players can handle), with a style that swaggers and stumbles at the same time. And don’t forget the well-timed whammy bar dip that makes a smooth transition back into Phil and Don... I mean John and Paul. George’s country/western style remains intimidating to me, as I have no experience with it, and playing with a clean tone often feels like I’ve lost my shred superpowers. Still I remember playing ‘Baby’s in Black’ for fun with my cover band, the Electric Fence, in the mid Nineties. I didn’t have a whammy on my guitar, so I got the job done by bending the neck, as I had seen Pat Travers do. Now go and listen to him… George, that is!”
WE WERE JUST MAKING A TAPE. WE HOPED MAYBE WE WERE MAKING A DEMO THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BE LISTENED TO BY A REAL RECORD COMPANY.’’ Chris Layton