Catcall

From BeatlesWiki

Catcall is an early instrumental written by Paul McCartney. The Beatles performed it from 1958 to 1962 under the original title Catswalk. Surprisingly, a tape recorded around December 1962 contains two rehearsals of this song done in an empty Cavern Club. On July 20, 1967, The Chris Barber Band recorded this song under it's new title Cat Call. The writer of the tune, Paul McCartney, even appears on piano and sings backing vocals on this recording. The Beatles returned to the song in January 1969 during the Get Back sessions.

Contents 1 AKA and working titles 2 Recording 3 Available Versions 3.1 The Beatles 3.2 Beatles-Related 3.3 Cover version 4 Sources

[edit] AKA and working titles

• Catswalk: correct title prior to 1967.

[edit] Recording

After Jane Asher's return from America in 1967, she and Paul tried to save their relationship by spending time together. She even followed him to a session to see jazz musician Chris Barber while recording Cat Call. As well as playing the piano for the song, Paul is also heard singing in the chorus and shouting "Please play it slower!" near the end. Paul said in his authorized biography, Many Years From Now, "I knew Chris Barber because he was always down all the clubs. He was from the generation before us but his love of blues meant he would be likely to want to get up and jam with Hendrix and play a bit of trombone. His wife, the jazz singer Ottilie Patterson, strangely enough had been a patient of the doctor who'd owned my house in Cavendish before I bought it. There had been stories of this guy painting the house in mid-winter, wearing just a pair of shorts, so I was obviously carrying on quite a rich tradition at this place. I'd said, 'Well, come round for a cup of tea tomorrow.' When Ottilie saw the house, she said, 'Oh yes, this used to be the consulting room.' Chris Barber was a good musician and a good fun, interested guy. He was not patronising. With a few jazz musicians at that time it was, 'Mmm, rock 'n' roll ...' They felt like they knew more scales than we did, or they could read music, unlike us, but not Chris."

[edit] Available Versions

[edit] The Beatles

• Rehearsal At The Cavern Club #1, December 9?, 1962, (Bootlegs)
• Rehearsal At The Cavern Club #2, December 9?, 1962, (Bootlegs)
• Get Back sessions, January 24, 1969, (Bootlegs)

[edit] Beatles-Related

• The Chris Barber Band with Paul McCartney on piano and vocals, July 20, 1967

[edit] Cover version

• Brazilian rock band TINTA PRETA recorded a version of this song for the cd BEATLES´67 - VOL.2 (2010 - DB-028 - DISCOBERTAS label).

[edit] Sources

• LEWISOHN M., 1992, The Complete Beatles Chronicle, Hamlyn -- Buy it on Amazon.com

• MILES, B., MCCARTNEY, P., 1998, Many Years From Now, Holt Paperbacks - Buy it on Amazon.com
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