by alex u. case

the study of recording

Oh! Darling

Notes:
Distortion
That electric guitar playing a back beat has always been an ear-grabber, with its distortion a great complement to Paul's vocal, particularly when he does his signature scream-with-strain. It is balanced by the ridiculously bright piano and contrasts nicely with the sweeter than sweet background vocals.

Echo
Great example of slap echo, probably tape slap, that adds excitement to the scream vocals. It is most revealed at the end of the vocal lines, but it also adds a nice bit of bounce throughout, particulary on words like 'know' on the line "Well you know I nearly broke down and cried." at about 1:17 and again at 2:23.

Doubling
Paul's screaming gets added power through doubling in the B sections: "When you told me, you didn't need me anymore..."

Compression
Ringo's drums get crushed hard for that signature Beatles sound, no doubt an Altec 436 (modified by Abbey Road engineers) or a Fairchild.

Tremolo
Electric Guitar gets an occasional dose of tremolo (e.g., on the single note lines in the B section), most apparent at the end of the tune.

Sources

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