Hey Bulldog!

One of the few last occasions when Lennon and McCartney seemed to be enjoying themselves. Always liked this song.

Geoff Emerick, the Beatles’ engineer, would subsequently claim this was the last song the band recorded that featured a team dynamic with enthusiasm from every member. The song popped up on the Yellow Submarine album.

When the group reconvened in the studio in May 1968 for the The Beatles sessions, their group cohesion had already been undermined by the business, artistic, and personal differences that would culminate in their eventual breakup.

There’s a well known band that plays in Mallorca, the Pa Amb Oli band that do a version of this song.  I was reminded of it the other day. You can listen to a rough live version of Pa Amb Oli playing it here.

 

You Really Got a Hold on Me – Smokey Robinson

 

I watched Smokey Robinson on Later with Jools Holland (with Eric Clapton sitting in on guitar) last week and again at the Electric Proms over the weekend.  He recorded some great songs The Tears of a Clown, the Tracks of My Tears and he wrote My Girl which was a hit for Mary Wells.  He was a prolfiic songwriter and was branded America’s love poet.  Here he is accompanied by Elvis Costello singing You Really Got a Hold on Me 

Of course, there were a great many artists who were influenced by Robinson.  Here’s another version recored in 1963.