Wait

“Wait” was released by the Beatles, on their 1965 album Rubber Soul. The songwriting credit is Lennon–McCartney, and the song is usually said to be a joint effort between the two — although both have indicated at one time or another that the song was mainly Sir Paul’s.

The song was originally recorded for Help! in June 1965 but was rejected for inclusion on that album. When Rubber Soul fell one song short for a Christmas release, “Wait” was brought back.

My instrumental arrangement is not a straight cover, but does folllow the original contours.

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Girl

“Girl” was primarily written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and included on the Beatles 1965 album Rubber Soul. This is one of the more melancholic and complex of the Beatles’ early love songs. My instrumental arrangement is surf-rock.

Check In

“Check In” is an original composition in which I try to combine the feel of 60’s instrumental guitar rock with a somewhat more sophisticated musical and harmonic language than was typical for that genre. This one is similar to the style of the Shadows.

The Boys

The Boys was a 1962 British courtroom drama film, directed by Sidney J. Furie and with a screenplay by Stuart Douglass, starring Robert Morley.

In the film, a night watchman at a garage is found murdered, and four “teddy boys” are put on trial for the crime. Witnesses and suspects give differing accounts of the lead-up to the crime, and the truth eventually emerges.

The Shadows recorded the soundtrack for the film. In the UK, four tracks were released on an EP in 1962 and was number one for three weeks there. In Australia, “The Boys” was paired with “The Girls” (also from the film) as a single and topped the charts there.

My arrangement largely follows the Shadows original.

Tell Me What You See

“Tell Me What You See” first appeared in 1965 on their album Help! in the United Kingdom and on Beatles VI in the United States. As with all Beatles compositions by either of the two, the song is credited to Lennon–McCartney.  However, the consensus is that it is entirely Paul McCartney’s work.

My instrumental arrangement preserves much of the feel of the original while adding some additional rhythmic variety.

Big Dog Boogie

Back in the fifties and sixties when people regularly bought albums as well as singles, the album “filler” track became a staple of the recording industry. Often put together on the fly and as an afterthought when the probable “hits” had been completed, these “filler” tracks occasionally took on a life of their own. Their unexpected popularity may have resulted from the uninhibited improvisations that often created them.

This is how “Big Dog Boogie” felt to me as I started noodling the main riff. Simple yet catchy, all it needed was some solos and a “B” section. Careful not to overthink it, I quickly threw together a bridge.

This is the result. I hope you like it.

Every Little Thing

“Every Little Thing” was released by the Beatles on their 1964 album Beatles for Sale. Rather than include the track on the North American version of Beatles for Sale (which was titled Beatles ’65), Capitol Records first issued the song on the June 1965 release Beatles VI.

Credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was written by Paul McCartney, although John Lennon is the more prominent vocalist on the Beatles recording. Another interesting feature of the original is George Harrison’s use of a Rickenbacker 12-string.

My version is basically an instrumental cover of the original.