Comments on: Back In The USSR

By: Allan

Allan — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 04:45:55 +0000

Lewisohn says that George also played bass.

By: Allan

Allan — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 04:44:01 +0000

The best solos? Nonsense. What about Something or The End. These are among the best guitar solos ever. Seriously, Paul’s fans have no shame. He is a GREAT bass player, singer and song writer, isn’t that enough for you?

By: Mr. Kite

Mr. Kite — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 20:04:34 +0000

Brilliant parody of the Beach Boys!

By: Christopher Wren

Christopher Wren — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 15:50:19 +0000

It is not “wind blowing” at the end, it is the sound a jet aeroplane vanishing into the distance because it is taking off, whereas, at the beginning, it is the sound of an aeroplane approaching as it is coming in to land.

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 21:28:14 +0000

I love the “one note solo” that starts at “show me around your…” so good..

By: MikeP

MikeP — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 21:03:28 +0000

You’re using “Rock Band” as a source of factual information? Ooooookaaayyy…………

By: Niles

Niles — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 15:44:29 +0000

Great forum on this song!!

I’m convinced this song was sped up. Has anyone noticed the demo, at a much slower tempo? The performances are identical (check out Take 5 on the 2018 release). EXACT performance.

Also, the piano part is completely underrated, as is Paul’s drumming. How about the hi-hat 1/8 notes pumping through “Back, in US…Back, in the US…” He’s driving this song on every level, guitar solo and all.

By: Niles

Niles — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 06:45:11 +0000

Great forum on this song!!

I’m convinced this song was sped up. Has anyone noticed the demo, at half speed? The performances are identical. Check out Take 5 on the 2018 release. Almost half the speed as the final mix, with the EXACT parts / performance.

Also, the piano part is completely underrated. as is Paul’s drumming. How about the hi-hat 1/8 notes pumping through “Back, in US…Back, in the US…” That’s is Paul’s creation. He’s driving this song on every level, guitar solo and all.

By: Tony Howard

Tony Howard — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 19:49:38 +0000

You can now with the deluxe set released last week…

By: r5e5c5

r5e5c5 — Sun, 11 Nov 2018 06:34:11 +0000

Awesome that you can head for Sardinia with the fam when you find yourself at odds with co-workers.

By: Ian Freud

Ian Freud — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 13:02:59 +0000

That’s clearly nonsense as the timbre of the instrumentation doesn’t suggest any varispeeding at all. Speeding it up a whole key would make it sound like a kids’ record! It was only ever done for effect (When I’m 64) or through necessity (Strawberry Fields).

By: MikeP

MikeP — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 00:25:30 +0000

Since you weren’t there, cite your source. Personally , I’ve never heard that.

By: Flip

Flip — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 22:15:24 +0000

Almost positive it’s Paul. That’s why I came to this site.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 21:46:03 +0000

Even though we’re familiar with Back in the USSR at 142 beats per minute in the key of A, John, Paul and George actually recorded it 20 bpm slower in the key of G.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 00:44:50 +0000

I think what happened was, sometimes Paul would come up with an idea for guitar or drums that the others thought was great. The drum pattern on Ticket to Ride was Paul’s idea, although Ringo played it. But sometimes it was just simpler for Paul to play his idea himself than for George, say, to learn it. So Paul did play some lead guitar parts here and there. For George it may have been less aggravating than having Paul tell him what to play, which became a major irritant for him by the “Get Back” sessions. Don’t forget, Paul played guitar before he played bass. He ended up playing bass because no one else would.

By: A Montreal Paul

A Montreal Paul — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 00:36:50 +0000

I believe they added the sound effects during the mixing process (i.e. when the mono and stereo mixes were made).

By: Slipper of the Yard

Slipper of the Yard — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 20:45:46 +0000

Yet the best guitar solos on Beatles tracks are played by McCartney. Taxman for example.

By: Slipper of the Yard

Slipper of the Yard — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 20:38:30 +0000

This sounds like a corrupted version of an interview the band did during a US tour when the American interviewer made some kind of comment about them not being very American or something like that to which Lennon replied that’s cause we are not and that’s very observant of you.

By: Nina

Nina — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 05:44:27 +0000

Nothing wrong with Paul’s guitar playing esp given he didn’t only play it on his own songs. For example, he played lead guitar on John’s song Ticket to Ride, he played the solo in Taxman which was George’s own song. If they didn’t think he was more than up to snuff with it, they wouldn’t have had him playing them on their songs

There are also plenty of fine drumming performances by Paul. He even played drums on Steve Miller’s My Dark Hour(as well as bass, backing vocals and one of the guitars–he’s credited as Paul Ramon). He was more than capable of playing the drums on Dear Prudence based on that performance given we have no doubt that was in fact Paul playing them on My Dark Hour.

Besides George and Ringo would have been out of jobs if Paul was as “into” those instruments as they were, that really isn’t the point. The point is he was capable of playing to a high standard when he wanted to and so he did. No one would seriously say he was a better drummer than Ringo, Ringo’s amazing and unique, but that doesn’t mean Paul couldn’t play the drums very well or that he didn’t know how to write a drum part, even if he couldn’t play it exactly that way himself. That’s what part of being a songwriter is.

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 00:51:10 +0000

I totally agree. Love the song and love the guitar leads, but the piano drives it! No complaints about the drums! Love it all. Genius musicians. Classic Beatles.