fini Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 I read the news today, oh boy... Who doesn't know that one? And of course, the lines that followed (a little further down): Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire And though the holes were rather small They had to count them all, Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall. There has been a lot of speculation on what these lyrics to A Day In The Life (from the album "Sgt. Pepper's") meant. I remember as a young teen hearing something about the police looking for bodies in a bog near Blackburn, the only efficient way was to poke poles in the bog, feeling for the resistance of a human body (gross). Conventional thought is that John Lennon came up with the lines after reading a story in the newspaper about potholes in the streets of Blackburn. Could be true, but it's a little boring. I have a different theory. First, a little background on my research. Over the past few months, I have been reading a few books, studying up on basic electronics, particularly as it relates to tube audio gear. Also, I've been picking up parts for a few repair projects, including some 5AR4s for the Dynaco Mark IVs. Being the kind of guy who researches things to death, I studied websites (and asked on this here forum) for information pertaining to tubes in general, and rectifiers specifically. What I found is a general consensus that Mullard made the best 5AR4s out of their Blackburn plant. These gems were often rebranded under labels such as GE, Sylvania, Dynaco, Fisher, as well as others. One can get the same Mullard quality without paying the Mullard price, by paying attention to date codes, as well as other tell-tale details in the construction of the tubes. Which leads me to my theory. One distinguishing quality of the Mullard-made tube is the tiny hole in the guide pin. I have got to believe Lennon was keenly aware of this (he probably had a load of Mullards in his guitar amps), and paid tribute in A Day In The Life. After all, the song does end with I'd love to turn you on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James RD Posted March 30, 2005 Share Posted March 30, 2005 Someone went upstairs for a smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 "Just as it sounds: I was reading the paper one day and I noticed two stories. One was the Guinness heir who killed himself in a car. That was the main headline story. He died in London in a car crash. On the next page was a story about 4000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire. In the streets, that is. They were going to fill them all. Paul's contribution was the beautiful little lick in the song "I'd love to turn you on." I had the bulk of the song and the words, but he contributed this little lick floating around in his head that he couldn't use for anything. I thought it was a damn good piece of work." - John Lennon, Playboy, 1980 However I like your theory. . ☼ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 I recall that John claimed Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was NOT about an LSD trip. If you beleve that, you can pretty much read anything into lyrics. Sign me, "I buried Paul." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted March 31, 2005 Author Share Posted March 31, 2005 Will you still need me will you still feed me when I'm 64 VDC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 I had always assumed it was actually a reference to the Moors murders that horrified the nation in the mid 60's. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley murdered 5 children and burried their bodies in the Moors above Manchester not far from Blackburn. If you want more information on the horrors of that event you can find them at http://freespace.virgin.net/greg.taylor1/moors.html On the other hand it might be better not to follow that link - it just might ruin the song for you, and I may well be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 "I recall that John claimed Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was NOT about an LSD trip." RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. And Sgt Peppers' Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver, and Abbey Road had nothing to do with/no influence from that stuff, either Not that consuming LSD is recommended for recording artists, but it seemed to work OK for The Beatles OTOH, it didn't work out so good for The Doors. Max - If you REALLY want to seriously injure a mental image of a song, watch Quinten Tarantino's film "Reservoir Dogs", and see what it does for future mental associations of the Stealer's Wheel tune "Stuck in the Middle With You." I'll never think of that tune in the same way again..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan krajewski Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 This genius of the Beatles lyrics could not be better illustrated than by reading this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 "Now we know how many holes it takes to fill the Alpert Hall." I don't think John had much respect for the BBC or the airy types that attend their concerts either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted March 31, 2005 Author Share Posted March 31, 2005 ---------------- On 3/31/2005 8:34:00 AM 3dzapper wrote: "Now we know how many holes it takes to fill the Alpert Hall." I don't think John had much respect for the BBC or the airy types that attend their concerts either. ---------------- Oh c'mon, Rick! The Tijuana Brass isn't that high-brow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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