PAUL BREAKS A STRING - Weird Moments in Beatles History #3
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- čas přidán 4. 02. 2024
- Paul McCartney broke a string in front of 34,000 people at Atlanta Stadium, 1965. Here's the historic moment!
If anyone has any photos showing the "Cavern bass" during the last 3 songs, please send me a message or reach out in the comments. There's got to be at least one photo out there!
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Coming soon:
-George rocks Germany with a Gibson SG
-Paul the organ player
DISCLAIMER: This video is for educational purposes only. All images, audio, and video footage fall under fair use laws. No copyright infringement is intended. - Hudba
I saw the Beatles in Chicago in August '65. Even if Paul broke a string, you wouldn't be able to tell. You couldn't hear anything other than the screams.
True but this was in Atlanta , it was their best sounding concert , due to a new sound system and Baker Audio of Atlanta .
One of my older sisters saw them in Toronto, twice, and was unable to hear a word, both times. She said that she was the only one in the crowd yelling "Shut up! Stop screaming!! Shut up! I want to hear them!" And there I was, pissed off the audiences stood up through the ENTIRETY of Rush concerts and kept me from seeing the band. At least I could hear them.
Should have gone to Atlanta.
Your ears must have rang for days😂
About two days actually
Well, I do know that "Pauls' broken a glass, broken a glass, Pauls' broken a glass"
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That's right😅
"a glass is broken"
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Great video . No vlogging crap just straight to the point. wish more videos on you tube were like this
My Dad made the Vox 100 Amp Beatle Cabinets (that you can see in this video) in Church Road, Bexleyheath, Kent. That’s just a few miles from where the main Vox factory was, in Dartford. One of his good friends was Dick Denney, from Vox, who some of you may have heard of. My Dad personally made the “Guitar Strap”, that John is wearing in the video. It was actually in our house being shined up and assembled by myself, one of my sister and my Dad, who accidentally knocked a cup of tea over the leather strap and nearly died inside, as it was to be presented to John, by Vox, in the next day or so. I was only about 11 years old at that time and 10 years later met and then married my wife, who just so happened to be related to John, a second cousin or something like that. Funny, she always preferred Paul, because she though he was her relative, but was put right at her Dad’s funeral in 1997, by relatives from her family, who confirmed it was actually John. I still wonder where that guitar strap is? I’m really proud that my Dad made it, as there weren’t straps around like that in those days.
Sorry if I bored everyone, but I enjoyed reminiscing.
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That is so cool
Thanks for sharing that. That's really cool.
I don't see how you could think that this is boring. It's what magazines pay people to tell their stories of such legendary things. It's not everyday that you actually know the people behind the scenes that help make it all happen. Thank you so very much for sharing your story with us.
After John wore that strap, it was very popular seller in music stores in the USA that sold Vox products. I had a Vox 100 bass amp in the 60's and hopefully your dad made part of it.
I played flatwounds in the 60's and had one unravel from the ball end which quickly travelled over the bridge and left me with a string that seemed a foot longer and with white fibers down the middle.
Your knowledge and production value never disappoints! Excellent work!
I have never known of a bass string breaking but here's my story. My older cousin was a huge fan of the Beatles and played a Eko Italian violin bass while in high school in the 60s. He gave it to me in the mid 70s just before he got married. I played it in a punk band in the mid 80s. I switched to guitar as our guitar player was crap. I let him play my bass. One practice that I wasn't at the tail piece on the Eko broke while he was playing it. The tail piece and strings nearly ripped a good chunk of flesh off his face. He had over 80 stitches. He recovered but the band didn't. I didn't find a replacement tail piece for many years. It still plays and sounds great. I discovered your channel recently. It's great! Thank you.
Not buying it! Picture of the scars?
You're right about photos. When I watch these old Beatles shows and you see myriad flash bulbs going off, I always think of those Beatles fans who are probably now in their 70's with photos and negatives in boxes on the top of the wardrobe with historic images.
Yes, my Dad has Super 8 film of them in Adelaide, South Australia. I must ask him where it is!
What a treasure that would be!!!@@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn
@@woohoolabtheory Yes, it was 1964. I've seen the footage, it's not great, but it's a moment in history, them arriving in Adelaide at the height of Beatlemania.
You are correct. The photo is of The Beatles as they ran out onto the field at the beginning of the concert. Thanks!
I've been playing bass since 1969. I've only broken one string. My A string. On the first song of the 1st set on the 1st night in a new club that we'd always wanted to play at.
I told the band to just keep on going. We finished the set and I put on a new string.
Got a few compliments from some musicians who were in the audience about how great it was that we kept on playing.
I also have only broken one bass string while playing a club and it was the A string too. Of course it’s the string I play the most and I didn’t have a spare set. Who breaks a bass string?
@@michaelmartinez6448 Yeah that one experience I had was enough for me luckily we were able to just continue through the rest of the set and I just didn't use an a string but after that it was new strings frequently and a visual inspection of my bridge saddles or any signs of sharp edges. Eventually I got where I purchased a second bass around for a backup JIC
The show must go on..
AMAZING photo
There’s plenty of pictures of Paul’s E string circa ‘66 practically unwound down near the tailpiece. I think the most notable was during the rain/paperback writer videos. And then later during their US tour in 66 you can see the string is notably different than the remaining strings on the bass. It’s sort of looks like a piano string. (Obviously not)
I've been a bassist since 1960 and I would never play at a concert with only one bass. If something goes wrong, you simply grab the other bass and carry on.
I can vouch for the rarity of breaking a bass string. But on that tour, where they were struggling to get their Vox amps to produce a sound that could be heard over tens of thousand of screaming fans, it's plausible that he could've been using the pick particularly hard, and it put more pressure than usual on the strings.
You’re not going to play the bass aggressively thinking it will be heard over tens of thousands of people that’s insane.
@@thefonzkiss More likely either getting overenthusiastic and digging in or just an old string that couldn't hold it together anymore, really.
Actually John said that was one of few shows where they could hear themselves.
@@404TVfr _Actually_
@@thefonzkiss I like how you have no actual response for that.
Hey Nick! I can see behind you the record 'FOR YOU' of the Uruguayan band, The Shakers!! They were great too! had a big Beatles influence to compose music. I love The Beatles and The Shakers as well! Regards!
Paul was the first one in the band who knew how to tune a guitar. Previously, the Quarrymen had to go to this old guy who lived on a hill to get them tuned. When playing a right-handed guitar upside down, Paul sometimes took the time to restring the guitar so they were top to bottom and he could emulate a left-handed guitar, but then because the holes are different sizes the strings didn't exactly sound the same. However, when he auditioned in front of John he had to play it unrestrung. (Unrestringed?)
What does this have to do with the video?
Ya Okay…..
@@monovision566 To anyone who's interested, it does
The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl pulled me in as a fan in 1979, so this just fascinates me. Saw Paul in 1989 Oct 7 in Germany, saw Ringo in 2014 and 2018 in St Louis. Long Live the Beatles!
Doing the lord’s work here! Love this channel
There he is
Thanks Sam! Love your channel too.
Those crowds were so loud and out of control, nobody would have known if he broke one string or three of ‘em and they really didn’t care!
Thanks Nick.I saw them at Cincinnati's now gone Crosley Field in 1966.A Friday night concert, it was rained out after we were seated but before it began. It was announced that the PA rig had grounded out or something.Next day we came back on the rain check. We picked up one someone had dropped on the way out and brought my date's little sister. btw,There is a video of a Blues guitarist breaking an E 1st while performing, then proceeds to change it after being handed a replacement, while he sang the next lines.Impressive...
🫵🏻😵💫🎶 that is so cool you got to see the Beatles perform 1966. Thank you for sharing.
Stevie Ray Vaughans string break!
@@bazjaddley6369 😎🎶👍🏻
That was B.B. King, wasn't it?
@@mr_bassman6685 Sure was...
thanks Nick. Your videos are always interesting and well produced.
Love these videos, keep it up!
Great stuff Nick, really interesting!
I play guitar and in my 60 years of playing I have never heard of anyone breaking a bass string I know a guy who boils his bass strings and re-uses them without breaking them.
Great find Nick, keep them coming!👍👍 I've read that in the early days when Stu broke a bass string they'd replace it with one they cut out of a piano!
Such a great story. Congratulations, on tracking down the photographer of the supposed missing string picture.
Some very interesting facts, well done, very impressed!!!
Cool story Nick - loved it mate!
Great video Nick. You not only sing the old songs as good as the originals, you document interesting Beatle history.
Great video. Great channel ❤
Nice Twin Tower models!
Great work.
Love these videos, so great
Nice work as always, Nick. I never knew that Paul broke a string in the middle of the concert. It's very interesting to me that George is using the Country Gentleman, in lieu of the Tennessean. Regards.
I don't think that string is tarnished, I think previously he replaced the D string with a (Tape Wrap/Black Wrap) String. My "first" conclusion was- that is the string McCartney broke during the performance. But there is a Stage performance shot (1:09) where you can see the D string is a Tape Wrap. One thing for Certain - if one string breaks on yer axe, the others are one their way. I think the G string broke at during "I Wanna Be Your Man".
You are correct, it's nylon black tapewound. Strings and their packaging went through a revolution in the mid to late 90s, prior to that steel strings had a much more limited shelf life than today. This meant most UK music stores (our climate doesn't help) didn't stock short or medium scale steel bass strings as they would most likely rust before sale, only replacement tapewounds that had a much longer shelf life. Then they'd put in an order for your steel string/s which could take a month or so!
Yes its hard to break a bass string but remember, strings manufactured today are more resilient now than back then. John Entwhistle you know had powerful fingers. WHen they recorded My Generation, during the bass solo he broke a few bass strings. Mind you they were thinner at his request to get that twang out of them.
Short and to the point. GREAT !
What a fantastic video have a wonderful day ❤😊
The end image might be from 1964. George used the Country Gentleman mainly in 1964 and changed to the Tennessean in 1965, which he used for the majority of the year.
Great Video! You should def do a video about when The Beatles played without John in Bedford, 1963.
So cool! just subscribed!
Great videos Nick and great detective work! I have a question that maybe you can help me with. I’ve seen a lot of photographs of the Beatles in concert, and in some of the photos that I’ve seen there is not a microphone in front of their guitar amplifiers. I was wondering if just the vocal mics were picking up their guitars, amplifiers cause it bled into their vocal mics or is there someway to come directly line-out of the amplifiers into a mixing board and that’s how they sent it to the PA system. If you even look at some of the photos that you uploaded in this video, I don’t see any microphones in front of their guitar amps. Thanks brother and keep doing a great job uploading these Beatles videos and your songs. Peace, Sal 💪🏻🎸
Very good Beatles post, I saw the Beatles live in Boston ( suffolk downs) $5.00 yep. 1964. I Subscribed
I've broken bass strings live. It might be more common than you think.
I've broken quire a few myself.
Wow very thorough and cool details, I definitely subscribed. Curious - is that an ES 335 hanging on your wall?
I’ve never broken a bass string, but I knew someone that would almost every gig. He hit them hard.
The sound system is far more interesting about this concert than Paul breaking a bass string.
Monitor speakers was claimed to be behind the two clusters of ALTEC A7 speakers..but I haven't seen any photos.
Two 8mm cine films were taken of this concert but not yet seen online.
Cool, thanks!
Unbelievable...thank you!
Great piece on Paulie !
Huge lifelong Beatles fan. I cannot remember Paul ever missing a single note or beat. This is special!
Way to go Nick - and thanks to the photographer! :)
I've broken a few bass strings.....usually when they're old strings and I'm playing close to the bridge....
Does meant that paul would have had to switch to the cavern bass for the remainder of the set?
Yes. It was the cavern bass he used as a backup for the show.
Also heard he also had an Epiphone Rivoli as a backup and have seen photos of it with the rest of the instruments. Strange that it vanished from Paul’s lineup.
@@vayabroder729 i only seen it in some get back photos. Would love to see more photos of it. Its a beautiful bass.
My bass had the same strings for 20 years. Then one day, while it was just sitting there against the wall, one of them broke. I cried many tears and put a new set on. It's been about 3 years and now they are just getting worked in.
On my guitars I like to change them ASAP and often.
Kudos for your good taste! The Shakers are a fantastic, top ten band! More on them!
And I was there.
I'd say the peak of Beatle Mania was 1964, although they were obviously still extremely popular in 1965. I used to own a lefty 65 Hofner bass and at that time that I owned it , was using a pick. The only way I think you could break a string, was if the string was really old, or defective.....most likely where it hooks behind the bridge. I sold the bass back in the 70's and sure wish I'd kept it.
I saw the Beatles in 1965 in Portland Oregon . At first I thought it was a record of thiers through a record player. I went to look at The sound system and it was them. It sounded note for note like the record meet the Beatles. Exactly I WAS IN SIXTH GRADE.
My band would have just jammed while the player restored his instrument.
The Beatles were never known to really jam except in the studio later in their career. But as I see from your logo jamming out while changing out instruments or strings is right in line with the Grateful Dead
That’s so cool, I love rare Beatles stuff
I saw the "Shakers for you " cover❤
I was at that concert in Atlanta with my sisters and mother who was nice enough to drive us down from Memphis. We were in bleachers well beyond 3rd base and only heard the Beatles over the screams when the music came in as faint waves. I saw the Bealtes in Memphis the following year and still didn't hear them. Oh, well!
The vehicle that took them off the field was a Rambler made by American Motors 3:46
If you Zoom in on the headstock where the tuning is done, you could see there's a string missing. It's the D string the smallest one.
Good luck in your venture in finding a pic of the "broken string incident". i believe you're right tho, somewhere there must be a pic and that person, or persons, don't know what they have in their archived photos.
I saw Tim Bogart break an e-string when he was playing with Jeff Beck.
Cool story, thanks.
I was looking forward to pm breaking a string on his hoofner bass. Never saw it. Im waiting for the next episode
LOVE YOUR SITE
What amazes me is that they apparently didn't have guitar or bass techs or a backup bass in case of a broken string.
Mal Evans was the “tech” basically handing them the instruments and taking them back.
@@vayabroder729 thanks for the info
Wow thats amazing i didint hear never this audio. Thanks a lot . By the way i can see a shakers LP . What di You think about them, were the most great band thats we had in america.im from Argentina
well have had a left handed Hofner Bass for 20 years and never broke a sing cause i change them ever 3 to 6 months .BUT have broke a E string on a P-Bass while recording a song the string popped at the end of the song on my last note so we left it in.
excellent
i've been waiting a long time for this. i have the boot as well and was hoping he switched to his rickenbacker which i believe he was using as a spare. the boot isn't in the proper sequence if 'i'm down' was the last song. regards.
So amazing to think about this… heck, I'm just a working guitarist, and I never do a gig without at least one backup guitar. Or two or three, depending on the size of the stage and how much I'm making that night ;)
I lovve the passion!
I’ve broken bass strings twice. I’m a septuagenarian and started playing as a teenager
Saw Simon & Garfunkel in San Diego (with Lovin' Spoonful). Paul Simon broke a string and Art had to riff while Paul put on a new string. He was stunned - "That's never happened!"
Consider yourself lucky.. getting hit by a broken bass string can hurt. Those strings are big, and when they snap and hits you, it hurts.
In one of The Beatles hit singles you can hear someone swear in the background - apparently when a string breaks. Once you know it's there it's really clear.
I know that bass strings are pretty durable for the most part but when you play night after night they get worn out like any other. I can't tell you how many strings I've broken over the years. But I've broken A and D strings on bass guitars. I've even broken bass E strings! I'm not really heavy handed but my playing style is pretty aggressive at times. Imagine seeing Paul McCartney breaking a string is interesting but I actually saw Eddie Van Halen play Poundcake in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1995 and the bass E string on his Gotoh Floyd Rose tremolo popped out of the saddle while he was playing. That was a memorable night for sure!
I’ve had a few break, always where the string goes over the bridge.
The Atlanta concert was the only concert with a real PA system that the band could actually hear themselves
You are young, in 1965 not everybody had a camera, I don't think the popular "Kodak
Instamatic" was even out yet. Concerts like this were also not a thing. We lived in the moment.
At the concerts I went to as a kid, most people brought binoculars rather than cameras. Some concerts wouldn't allow cameras.
He was talking about seeing flash bulbs going off, and wondering about the photos taken. Instamatic cameras where in existence from the late 50's at least.
I've been playing bass for over 30 years and have broken a handful of strings over the years. Usually while pop/slapping or using to thick of a pick. Bass strings don't "break" like un wound guitar strings can, the inner core will break and the winding will still hold it together. So unless you pull on the string and unwind a good bit of it, it should pretty much stay in place and look fairly normal. I doubt, even if you can prove a picture was taken just after the break you'd even be able to tell the bass has a broken string.
In John Sebastian's 'How Have You Been?' there is an intriguing verse about a single broken (I presume) guitar string. Not Paul's...
The Beatles were very frugal when it came to strings. They never changed a whole set, but only individually as they broke so it's possible that string had been on the Hofner since he acquired it several years and hundreds of gigs earlier.
It's possible that he picked harder than someone playing in a modern sound reinforcement situation would have to, trying hear himself over crowd noise. That's a good way to break a string, I guess.
Ages ago, my high school had a cover band from the US Navy play in the gym one afternoon. The bass player broke a string. So it is possible.
We were not a loud audience.
When I was playing hard rock, I'd break a bass string about every week to ten days in rehearsal. Never in a live performance, though. I believe it is from emotional tension of the player, which translates into physical tension where the string's vibration is interrupted, or something like that. Maybe Ringo wanted to sing his song, and Paul was upset about that.
I bet there is thousands of beatles photos in boxes in people's houses that have been stored away for decades. That's why I look for old photo albums at garage sales.
No phones and cameras were too big for people to heave to gigs. Also generally not encouraged to take shots in the auditorium.
I had a Beatles bootleg album called LIVE IN ATLANTA GEORGIA
As a side note here, McCartney's lost/stolen bass guitar has been returned to him recently. I just wonder where it has been for 50 years and has anyone been charged with grand larceny?
It was in my closet. You think I'm kidding.
There is a statistic online from Iron Maiden and used to be on one of their covers for their Live after Death Tour. The numbers of broken strings for the guitarist are large, drums sticks and pads, the list goes on. I do not recall a separate one for Steve Harris the bassist though. Usually you can get away with it even on a six string. That is why off to the side are at least six copies of each players favourite guitar, just in case these days and their favourite tool an auto winder. Used to be done the old way for a long long time as batteries were not able to be made so small. Guitar Techs are hugely valuable. :) Thank you for sharing this hugely unique historical artifact. Has anyone approached Paul for comment? Would be interesting to hear what he thought, how he reacted, any little tricks he has used to avoid this? By the way from N.Z. Yes this is how we spell favorite (favourite) (British English). Ibanez even sell a self-string tightening and tuning guitar.
Breaking a bass string is tough to do. I played bass for a few years and never came close. I did make the mistake of changing out the strings right before a show for reasons I can't even recall. I do however remember that I was constantly tuning the thing as the strings stretched out. Someone recommended slapping them onto a trailer hitch and towing a car a mile or so next time. But there never was a next time. The band broke up and I went back to guitar.
Most bass strings statistically break during the first song of a show. Weird.
As a long time Musician that own a few Hofner Bass Guitars. @ Timestamp 3:38, I can look directly at the headstock see that the "D" String (3rd string from the top) is missing. You can clearly see that the "E, A, & G" Strings are visible. There's your evidence Mate. All the Best !
I think you may be incorrect. If you look at the zero fret and headstock on the A and E string you can clearly see the strings form a triangle as they run on to their respective pegs. You can also see the same on D and G string side except that from the G peg to the D peg, the D string isn't visible.
But if you look at the tail piece and the bridge you can make out the D string but can't actually see the G string?
And if you look between the two pick ups you can make out the E and D string but not the A or G string?
I think it's all down to lighting and how new/old the strings were. I reckon the D string was old but the E, A and G newer. That's why the E, A and G stands out on the black headstock (shinier) but between the pick ups were it's very bright, the duller, dirtier D string stands out.
Just my opinion, but I think there's plenty of evidence in the photo that all 4 strings are on the bass at that moment in time 🤔
He did break a string again at a Wings show while playing letting go
I don't even know if he had a spare bass, as breaking those thick strings is so unanticipated.
He had both his first cavern bass and his rickenbacker with him! At least in tours 1966, there should be photos online :)
He had his '61 Hofner as a spare, lots of pix of it on stage.
@@linusnoren3333 @ARWest-bp4yb = thanks for the explanations. It seems to me that the conditions in which the Beatles operated were sub-optimal at best. To the point of not having a spare onstage [in my imagination, haha]...
George got himself a replacement Gretsch Gentleman.