KRISTOFER ENGELHARDT

CONTAINS BONUS CD OF UNRELEASED RECORDINGS
PRODUCED AND/OR WRITTEN BY JOHN LENNON

Beatles Undercover is a reference book which explores the origins and evolution of The Beatles' contributions to other artists' music, along with a brief biographical sketch of each of these artists. In short, this book is about The Beatles' admiration for and generous support of their friends and fellow musicians. It's neither a price guide nor a discography per se. It does not seek to expose the artists' personal lives or critique their work. For those of you who thought the music of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr was confined to The Beatles and their solo recordings, you are in for a very big and pleasant surprise.

FOREWORD

by Walter J. Podrazik

"Let me tell you about the time I worked with The Beatles."

A storyteller with that lead-in is guaranteed to catch the ear of any audience, crossing generations, continents, and musical tastes. Whether it is the tale of a cop handling security at their Shea Stadium concerts, a photographer setting up an album cover shot, or a radio disc jockey recalling a promotional interview, listeners inevitably find themselves drawn in.

Part of the attraction is that, however briefly, these people connected with The Beatles on a professional level. For one moment in time, they were a legitimate part of The Beatles story. They helped The Beatles be The Beatles.

Of all these people, the ones who made music with members of the group had the best experiences of them all. Beatles Undercover shares their stories. There are hundreds of tales. Some are brief connections - a surprise moment in the studio or a guest appearance at a concert. Others are far more involved, reflecting magical moments that turned a particular recording into a never-to-be-forgotten experience. In many cases, even The Beatles themselves never knew all the details, especially when happened before and after they left. The others involved never forgot. And now that they've shared their stories with Kristofer Engelhardt, their memories are in good hands.

Kris began this project seven years ago. Early on, he and I spoke by phone, sharing our mutual interest in these generally untold musical encounters with one or more of The Beatles. We've continued the conversations by phone and letter as his book developed and the stories unfolded.

I first developed an affection for these tales during the 1970s when preparing All Together Now, the first of three volumes co-authored with Harry Castleman. In these books, we chronicled all the recorded works associated with The Beatles, including these lesser known offerings, which we dubbed the "Beatles For Others." We were fascinated by the musical associations chosen by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr because we knew that - as the premier performing group of the world - they could work with anyone they wished. These are the people they chose. Something about these performers caught the attention of The Beatles. Sometimes the connection lasted only for that single encounter. Other times, the sessions led to long-lasting, on-going professional and personal relationships.

What adds an extra aura to these associations is that in many cases they quietly slipped by, almost out of sight. There might have been attendant publicity at the time of release, though not always. So, discovering these recordings is like unexpectedly finding The Beatles "hanging out" at a party. Suddenly, you want to take another look around, listening for just what the attraction was for the Fab Four. Most of the time, it's worth the effort. That's what Harry Castleman and I did in assembling the "Beatles For Others" sections for our three books. We listened to the music, scanned liner notes, read squibs in the rock press (especially in Britain), and conducted a handful of personal interviews. We always knew that there were some stories still left undiscovered and untold. During one chat with Harry Nilsson about our goal of chronicling every guest appearance, he smiled and said, "You'll never do it - there are too many no one knows about."

With this book, Kris Engelhardt comes closest to successfully answering that challenge. A man with a mission for over a decade, he has attempted to fill in the gaps once and for all. The results are amazing. Kris has dug up previously unknown behind-the-scenes associations. This is great news for any Beatles aficionado determined to have a truly complete Beatles collection. Now there are new discs to hunt down at second hand shops, or to bug labels to reissue on compact disc. Beyond that, Kris has also gone back to some of the already familiar connections and fleshed out the details of their stories. As often as possible, this involved one-on-one discussions by phone, fax, letter, or in person. Lucky thing. As time moves inexorably forward, some of the participants have passed on, sometimes far too soon. That's bad news for history because ultimately these are very personal stories, which can only be told by those who were there. When they are gone, so are their memories.

That is probably the most important aspect of this book. Kris Engelhardt has managed to convey a sense of wonder for not only rock music, but also for creative collaboration. These were special moments that should be celebrated and appreciated. As you read through the details of each Beatles encounter, you will inevitably find yourself struck by the wide range of talent at work. Rock. Pop. Jazz. Avant garde. Indian. Country. Rhythm and blues. Broadway. Comedy. The Beatles were not just about topping the rock charts. The were working with artists from all walks of life. Now, with a little help from Kris Engelhardt, you can see this collaborative handiwork up close and share in yet another magical, musical legacy of The Beatles.

Wally Podrazik, Chicago 1997

Walter J. Podrazik is co-author with Harry Castleman of three volumes on the recorded work of The Beatles: All Together Now, The Beatles Again, and The End Of The Beatles?

Text copyright 1997 by Walter J. Podrazik.

PREFACE

The Beatles have always been a popular subject of research, but somehow their contributions to other artists' recordings have been largely ignored. I find this surprising because these contributions represent some of The Beatles' best music! The need to share my love and knowledge on this subject motivated me to dedicate seven years of my life to writing Beatles Undercover.

This book was written while raising a family, running another business and getting on with life. I never gave up hope nor lost sight of my goal during the hard drive crashes; mounting phone, record and book bills and the endless hours of work in small offices, libraries, dressing rooms, tour buses and recording studios. That I was able to complete it while watching my parents and several other loved ones pass away makes it that much more of a personal journey and a victory.

My work was inspired by Harry Castleman and Walter Podrazik's book, All Together Now, published in 1975. I was challenged by their ability to discover and document The Beatles' contributions to other artists' recordings. Time eventually diminished the comprehensiveness of their book as it will mine. Before it does, I hope it's able to bring knowledge and enjoyment to those who read it. A research book of this nature can never be definitive, complete or wholly accurate - it is an ongoing process, an unknown puzzle made of thousands of pieces, with new pieces being created each day. I do not apologize for any of its mistakes or misinformation. I worked to the best of my abilities to prevent them. I will feel a tremendous sense of regret that I was unaware or unable to correct its shortcomings, but even George Harrison only recently learned that he was born a day earlier than he had always thought. I encourage those with any clarifications or additional information to contact me.

ABOUT THE CD

The accompanying CD contains three previously unreleased recordings, available only with this book, which were produced by John Lennon. Two of the three songs were arranged by Lennon, and the lyrics for the song Incantation were written by Lennon.

The songs were recorded in early 1975 at Record Plant Studios (New York) with a backing band originally called Bomf, who renamed themselves Dog Soldier.

The recording details are as follows:

Incantation
is performed by Dog Soldier with Patrick Jude singing lead vocals. As well as helping to produce the song, John Lennon wrote the lyrics. His lyrics were inspired by an indian he had met named Rolling Thunder. Dog Soldier took their name from Lennon's lyrics for this song. Dog Soldier backed Lennon on April 18, 1975 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel for "A Salute to Sir Lew Grade". Roy Cicala was the owner and chief sound engineer at the Record Plant and had helped John Lennon with most of his recordings. Lori Burton had previously sung backing vocals on a couple of Lennon's recordings.

Let's Spend The Night Together
is the familiar Rolling Stones song sung as a duet by Lori Burton and Patrick Jude. This song was produced (with help from Roy Cicala) and arranged by John Lennon. Jude, who supplied hand claps to Lennon's song Whatever Gets You Through The Night, sings lead vocals.

Answer Me, My Love
performed by Lori Burton, was produced by John Lennon and Roy Cicala, Burton's husband at the time. The song had been a hit for Nat King Cole which Lennon had liked, and he arranged it for Lori.

Special thanks to Yoko Ono for granting permission for the use of Incantation and to Roy Cicala for providing these recordings.

"Kris Engelhardt knows more about us than we do!"
Levon Helm (The Band)

"This book stands alone as the last word on The Beatles' work for other artists. The research and attention to detail are astounding."
Roy Cicala (John Lennon's recording engineer)

"I love Kris' book so much it makes me want to come back in the next life as one of the surfing Beatles."
Bruce Johnston (The Beach Boys)

"Kris' book shows that a less publicized part of The Beatles' greatness was their ability to influence and inspire (and assist) other artists with their professional careers."
Tony Sheridan

"This history of The Beatles' musical contribution to other artists' recordings is my guidebook to the All-Starr Band Concept."
David Fishof (producer for Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band Tours)

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