A Toot and a Snore in '74

Infobox Album | Name = A Toot and a Snore in '74
Type = Album
Longtype = (bootleg)
Artist = John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Harry Nilsson, Jesse Ed Davis and Bobby Keys


Caption = The cover art of "A Toot and a Snore in '74"
Released = 1992
Recorded = March 28, 1974, Burbank Studios, Los Angeles
Genre = Rock
Length = 29:12
Label = Mistral Music
MM 9225
Producer = ?
Reviews =
Last album =
This album = "A Toot and a Snore in '74"
(1992)
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"A Toot and a Snore in '74" is a rare bootleg album of the one and only jam session in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney played together after the break-up of the Beatles. First mentioned by Lennon in a 1975 interviewFact|date=March 2008, details were brought to light in May Pang's 1983 book, "Loving John", and it gained wider prominence when McCartney made reference to the session in a 1997 interview. Discussing with Australian writer Sean Sennett in his Soho office, McCartney claimed the 'session was hazy... for a number of reasons'. The story is corroborated by biographies such as Christopher Sandford's 2006 "McCartney". [ cite book
last = Sandford
first = Christopher
title = McCartney
url = http://www.randomhouse.ca/author/results.pperl?authorid=68972
year = 2006
month = February
publisher = Carroll & Graf
isbn = 978-0786716142
pages = pp 227-229
quote = ]

Recording history

Lennon was producing Harry Nilsson's latest album, "Pussy Cats", when Paul and Linda McCartney dropped in on the Burbank Studios session on March 28, 1974. They were joined by Stevie Wonder, Harry Nilsson, Jesse Ed Davis, May Pang, Bobby Keys and producer Ed Freeman for an impromptu jam session.

Lennon was in his "lost weekend", separated from Yoko Ono and living in Los Angeles with May Pang. Sandford paints the scene very vividly, as the room froze when McCartney walked in, and remained perfectly silent until Lennon said, "Valiant Paul McCartney, I presume?" McCartney responded: "Sir Jasper Lennon, I presume?" ("Valiant Paul" and "Sir Jasper" were characters played by the two, in a televised Christmas play early in the Beatles's career.) McCartney extended a hand, Lennon shook it, and the mood was pleasant but subdued, cordial but not especially warm, at least initially.

What followed was not very productive. Lennon sounds to be on cocaine—he can be heard offering Wonder a snort on the first track, and on the fifth, asks someone to give him a snort. This is also the origin of the album name, where John Lennon clearly asks: "You wanna snort, Steve? A toot? It's goin' round." In addition, Lennon seems to be having trouble with his microphone and headphones.

Lennon is on lead vocal and guitar, while McCartney sings harmony and plays drums. Stevie Wonder sings and plays electric piano, Linda McCartney on organ, May Pang on tambourine, Harry Nilsson provides vocals, Jesse Ed Davis is on guitar, producer Ed Freeman fills in on bass, Bobby Keyes plays saxophone. [cite web
url = http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=mm9225&section=2
title = John Lennon & Paul McCartney - A Toot And A Snore In 74
accessdate = 2007-02-18
work = BootlegZone
publisher = BootlegZone & François Vander Linden]

Track listing

#"A Toot and a Snore" 0:27
#"Bluesy Jam" 2:33
#"Studio Talk" 2:40
#"Lucille" 5:59
#"Nightmares" 2:38
#"Stand By Me" - 2:18
#* Mostly Lennon complaining about the sound in his headphones and reminiscing about how it was better half an hour ago.
#"Stand By Me" 3:41
#* Lennon complains about the sound again, saying that it was better two hours ago.
#"Stand By Me" 6:04
#*Because of Lennon's complaints, the studio has changed the microphone levels on the recording itself (rather than the performers' headphones), and most of the lead vocals can no longer be heard.
#Medley 3:10
#:"Cupid"
#:"Chain Gang"
#:"Take This Hammer"

References