| Get Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 March 2003 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:24 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer | The Basics | |||
| The Basics chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Original March 2003 cover | ||||
Get Back is the first studio album by Australian rock and roll band The Basics. Released on 21 March 2003, the album consists of material composed by members Wally de Backer and Kris Schroeder. The album features De Backer, Schroeder, and original lead guitarist Michael Hubbard.
Wally de Backer and Kris Schroeder met in March 2002, in Melbourne, at the going-away party of engineer/producer Chris O'Ryan. [1] [2] [3] The pair jammed instrumentally alongside several others at that party, and took notice of one another. [1] Subsequently, they became acquainted, and learned of their shared love for the rock and roll music of the 1950s and 60s, particularly that of the Beatles. [4] Schroeder invited De Backer to join him in a musical group - "At the time, I was playing a gig down in Frankston, and I needed someone to come and join me on another instrument", Schroeder said in 2003. [4] Schroeder and De Backer first rehearsed together at Schroeder's house, and had not heard one another sing prior to this. Upon being asked if he could sing, De Backer said that he could try - he sang Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Long as I Can See the Light", greatly impressing Schroeder. [3]
Since the dissolution of his first band Downstares, De Backer had scarcely played drums for a period of three years; his attention had been focused on sampling and creating music for his Gotye project. [4] De Backer took up the drums once again in order to play in his new band alongside Schroeder, who played acoustic guitar. At this stage, the band's live set consisted of cover songs. In this early period, they played gigs in Melbourne venues, including Frankston club The Opposition. The duo played their first show here on 29 March 2002, and were paid $50 each for four 40 minute sets in one night. [5] Another of the band's first ongoing gigs was at the House of Fools in Footscray infamous for its rough inhabitants; the duo played there for four hours each Wednesday night for $25 each. During these early gigs, the enthusiastic audience response for immediate, energetic rock and roll songs such as their cover of the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'" made a distinct impression on the pair. [6]
Schroeder and De Backer's musical group initially went under the name The Big Nothing, which was then changed to The Big Something. [6] The name 'The Basics' was the invention of Schroeder, who recalls it "coming to [him] while in the shower", vaguely inspired by the musical simplicity of their act, with only two instruments and two voices. [7]
Soon after the duo's initial formation, Schroeder wrote "What Have You Done?", a midtempo rock and roll song. The lyrics detail the protagonist learning of his partner's deceit and reckless drunken behaviour, and presenting her with an ultimatum - "I won't play your games if you won't change your ways". De Backer remarked in 2003 that based on Schroeder's writing of this song, the pair made the decision that they would continue in this musical style. [4] Early in the band's existence, De Backer wrote "You're Already Gone" - the song, in the time signature of 6/8, describes a relationship in which the woman constantly leaves the protagonist returning again when in need. [4] Another composition, "Karolina", was a collaboration between Schroeder and De Backer. According to Schroeder, it began as his own composition, but was finished and organised into its final form with the help of his bandmate. [4] During this early period of March–November 2002, The Basics also recorded tape demos including covers of "Gimme Some Lovin'", Prince's "Kiss", Schroeder composition "A Night Inside Your Mind", and Schroeder and De Backer's first ever joint composition, "I'll Never Love Again". [8]
In November 2002, Schroeder and De Backer met fellow musician Michael Hubbard - The Basics and Hubbard were both performing at a venue on the same night. [4] [7] Their meeting would result in Hubbard's being invited to join the group as lead guitarist. According to Schroeder, Hubbard's involvement in the group was "essentially a temporary arrangement from the start ... Michael always had plans to do more solo stuff". [7] After Hubbard joined the band, Schroeder permanently became the band's bass guitarist. According to De Backer, the first songs which the three learned together and arranged for the three-piece band were "What Have You Done?", "It's Over", and "Can You Trust Me?", all written by Schroeder. [4] While "It's Over" deals with a relationship which the singer feels must end, "Can You Trust Me?" describes the joy of a new romance; the protagonist professes, however, that he has been known to "play around", and hopes, with some apparent uncertainty, that he is capable of faithfulness.
The Basics, now with three members, were highly productive in late 2002 and early 2003, playing further gigs, and recording more material for potential release, much of which was newly written by Schroeder and De Backer. In late 2002, the Basics had two recording sessions with engineer Michael McClintock - the result of these sessions was a four-track EP consisting of "What Have You Done?", "It's Over", "Can You Trust Me?", and "Better". [8] The former three of these four songs would eventually appear in re-recorded form on "Get Back" in March 2003, whereas "Better" was shelved for unknown reasons, and would not be utilised by the band until 2007, on their second album, "Stand Out/Fit In". By this point, the song's arrangement had been altered somewhat, with the key lowered by three semitones, and the three-part vocal harmonies reduced to two parts. The early recording was eventually released on the 2013 rarities compilation, "Leftovers".
"Did I Ever Stand a Chance", another Schroeder composition, served as an opportunity for Hubbard to take on lead vocal duties. In 2003, Hubbard commented with amusement on the fact that he almost always failed to remember the lyrics correctly, despite the song being in the band's live repertoire for several months. [4] Throughout the song, De Backer and Schroeder sing backing vocals, serving as something of a Greek chorus, commenting on the lead singer's predicament - "He needs an answer".
During the months prior to the release of the band's debut album, Hubbard at one point embarked on a brief solo tour, while Schroeder and De Backer continued writing material. [4] Schroeder wrote "Gone... Gone... Gone...", a song which he describes as a "50's dance-hall ballad", in which the singer tells of remorse over infidelity, and laments his broken relationship. [4] "Lovin' Man" was also composed at this time - written by Schroeder, the song is lyrically simplistic, and musically embedded in country and rockabilly stylings. Schroeder intended for Hubbard to sing "Lovin' Man"'s lead vocal, though Schroeder would ultimately do so himself. [4] Schroeder also composed "Hey C'mon", which would ultimately become the closing track for "Get Back" - the song, in which Schroeder sings of a rewarding and happy relationship, was written "in about five minutes in the car". [4]
Further new material included De Backer's "I Don't Need Another", in which the singer pleads a love interest, whom he has wronged in the past, for another chance at a relationship. At one stage, Schroeder had "not written anything for ages", while De Backer was continuing to create songs. [4] Anxious to generate more of his own material, Schroeder borrowed the general structure and lyrical framing from the Beatles' "She Loves You", and wrote "She's Gonna B. Late". [4] Like in "She Loves You", the singer is a third party to a relationship, relaying information from the woman to the man - "I got a call from your girlfriend - she told me to tell you she's coming to the party tonight". Another song contributed by De Backer was "I Could Go On". The song's subject matter is not unlike that of "You're Already Gone" - in each song, the singer describes his frustration at a lover's indecisive ways. "I Could Go On" also provides strong juxtaposition against "Gone... Gone... Gone..." - in "I Could Go On", De Backer resolves, "I will survive even after you're gone", while in "Gone... Gone... Gone...", Schroeder declares that he cannot go on without his lover.
The earliest known video footage of the band performing together originates from this period, shortly before the release of Get Back. The footage was recorded to accompany a video 'interview', in which the band answer questions prepared by themselves. The resulting seven minute mini-documentary was later released as a bonus component alongside the original 2003 release of Get Back - it includes snippets of the band performing renditions of each song from the album, with exception of "I Could Go On". For this performance, De Backer plays a simplified drum kit using brush sticks, and Schroeder and Hubbard each play acoustic guitars. The video ends with a brief a cappella rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary", sung in three-part harmony.
The recording of Get Back took place over four days. [6] The band acted as their own producers for the recording sessions, while Michael McClintock and William Bowden served as Balance Engineer and Mastering Engineer respectively. [9] The album was mostly recorded live, with occasional overdubs including additional percussion and handclaps. De Backer, Hubbard, and Schroeder were also joined by John Zutic, who contributed piano parts for "I Could Go On", "Gone... Gone... Gone...", and "You're Already Gone". [9] After recording was completed, two days were spent mixing, and then mastering was completed in just three hours. [6] The photograph used for the album's original artwork was taken during one of the recording sessions - "a camera belonging to Hubbard was set to a 15-second timer while the boys quickly huddled together, smiling furiously at the lens". [6]
By the time of Get Back's release, the group were highly experienced as live performers; De Backer and Schroeder had played over one hundred shows together since coming together almost a year prior. [9]
The album's title is an oblique reference to the Beatles' aborted 1969 album of the same name, which ultimately became Let It Be . Much like in the case of that abandoned Beatles album, the meaning behind the title Get Back is one of return to straightforward, energetic rock and roll. [9] In terms of typeface and layout, the album artwork for the original 2003 release of Get Back closely emulated that of the Beatles' debut Please Please Me , and by extension, the proposed artwork for the Beatles' Get Back, which was itself to be an imitation of Please Please Me's cover art. The artwork reads, "The Basics - Get Back - with I Could Go On and 11 other songs", much like the artwork for Please Please Me advertises "Love Me Do and 12 other songs".
Without management or a record label, The Basics were only capable of a limited release, manufacturing and selling 1000 CDs. [6]
In 2013, the Basics recorded an acoustic version of "I Don't Need Another" at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, using a 1903 Edison Standard D model wax cylinder. [10]
Get Back saw a much more widespread re-release via MGM Distribution on 2 August 2008, being mass-produced for physical sale, as well as being made available on online platforms iTunes and Bandcamp. The audio was remastered, and the artwork was replaced by a more professionally shot photograph which had been taken two months after the original 2003 release, in anticipation of a potential reissue. [6]
In July and August 2008, the Basics undertook a tri-state tour in support of the album's relaunch. [11] Hubbard was not present for these shows, having departed the band four years prior; Tim Heath had permanently filled the role of lead guitarist since then. The tour's setlists drew heavily on the album's material, as well as covers from the band's early repertoire such as "Gimme Some Lovin'". [12]
All songs credited to Schroeder-De Backer.
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Could Go On" | De Backer | 3:22 |
| 2. | "She's Gonna B. Late" | Schroeder | 2:13 |
| 3. | "Karolina" | De Backer | 2:45 |
| 4. | "I Don't Need Another" | De Backer | 3:29 |
| 5. | "Lovin' Man" | Schroeder | 2:21 |
| 6. | "Can You Trust Me?" | De Backer | 2:07 |
| 7. | "It's Over" | Schroeder | 2:27 |
| 8. | "What Have You Done?" | Schroeder | 3:22 |
| 9. | "Did I Ever Stand a Chance?" | Hubbard | 3:08 |
| 10. | "Gone... Gone... Gone..." | Schroeder | 3:13 |
| 11. | "You're Already Gone" | De Backer | 3:18 |
| 12. | "Hey C'mon!" | Schroeder | 2:39 |
Please Please Me is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released in the UK on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963. The album is 14 songs in length, and contains a mixture of cover songs and original material written by the partnership of band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
With the Beatles is the second studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 November 1963 on Parlophone, eight months after the release of the band's debut album, Please Please Me. Produced by George Martin, the album features eight original compositions and six covers. The sessions also yielded the non-album single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" backed by "This Boy". The cover photograph was taken by the fashion photographer Robert Freeman and has since been mimicked by several music groups. A different cover was used for the Australian release of the album, which the Beatles were displeased with.
A Hard Day's Night is the third studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 10 July 1964 by Parlophone, with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their film of the same name. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records, with a different track listing that included selections from George Martin's film score. In contrast to the Beatles' first two albums, all 13 tracks on A Hard Day's Night were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, showcasing the development of their songwriting partnership.
"Back in the U.S.S.R." is a song by the English rock band the Beatles and the first track of the 1968 double album The Beatles. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, the song is a parody of Chuck Berry's "Back in the U.S.A." and the Beach Boys' "California Girls". The lyrics subvert Berry's patriotic sentiments about the United States, as the narrator expresses relief upon returning home to the Soviet Union, formally the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
Meet the Beatles! is a studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released as their second album in the United States. It was the group's first American album to be issued by Capitol Records, on 20 January 1964 in both mono and stereo formats. It topped the popular album chart on 15 February 1964 and remained at number one for eleven weeks before being replaced by The Beatles' Second Album. The cover featured Robert Freeman's iconic portrait of the Beatles used in the United Kingdom for With the Beatles, with a blue tint added to the original stark black-and-white photograph.
The Beatles' Second Album is the second Capitol Records album by the English rock band the Beatles, and their third album released in the United States including Introducing... The Beatles, which was issued three months earlier by Vee-Jay Records. Following its release in April 1964, The Beatles' Second Album replaced Meet the Beatles! at number 1 on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the US. The album was compiled mostly from leftover tracks from the UK album With the Beatles and Long Tall Sally EP, which are predominantly rock and roll and R&B covers, and rounded out with several Lennon-McCartney-penned non-album b-sides and the hit single "She Loves You". Among critics, it is considered the band's purest rock and roll album and praised for its soulful takes on both contemporary black music hits and original material.
Introducing... The Beatles is the first studio album released by the English rock band the Beatles in the United States. Originally scheduled for a July 1963 release, the LP came out on 10 January 1964, on Vee-Jay Records, ten days before Capitol's Meet the Beatles!. The latter album, however, entered the U.S. album chart one week before the former. Consequently, when Meet The Beatles! peaked at No. 1 for eleven consecutive weeks, Introducing...The Beatles stalled at No. 2 where it remained for nine consecutive weeks. It was the subject of much legal wrangling, but ultimately, Vee-Jay was permitted to sell the album until late 1964, by which time it had sold more than 1.3 million copies. On 24 July 2014 the album was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA.
"Please Please Me" is a song released by the English rock band the Beatles. It was their second single in the United Kingdom, and their first in the United States. It is also the title track of their first LP, which was recorded to capitalise on the success of the single. It is a John Lennon composition, although its ultimate form was significantly influenced by producer George Martin.
"Lady Madonna" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. In March 1968 it was released as a mono non-album single, backed with "The Inner Light". The song was recorded on 3 and 6 February 1968, before the Beatles left for India, and its boogie-woogie style signalled a more conventional approach to writing and recording for the group following the psychedelic experimentation of the previous two years.
"No Reply" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1964 album Beatles for Sale. In North America, it was issued on Capitol Records' variant on the British release, Beatles '65. The song was written mainly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon originally gave the song to another artist managed by Brian Epstein, Tommy Quickly, in June 1964, but Quickly decided not to use it. The Beatles recorded the track in London soon after returning from their first full tour of the United States. The lyrics typify Lennon's more introspective and mature songwriting on the Beatles for Sale album.
"Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well. "Please Mr. Postman" became a number-one hit again in early 1975 when The Carpenters' cover of the song reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100. "Please Mr. Postman" has been covered several times, including by the British rock group the Beatles in 1963. The 2017 song "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man draws on "Please Mr. Postman" and includes a credit for Brian Holland.
"Hold Me Tight" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1963 album With the Beatles. It was first recorded during the Please Please Me album session, but not selected for inclusion and re-recorded for their second album.
"I Saw Her Standing There" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It is the opening track on the band's 1963 debut UK album Please Please Me and their debut US album Introducing... The Beatles.
Boardface is the debut studio album by Belgian-Australian singer Gotye. It was originally released in 2003, and then re-released as a companion to his follow-up breakthrough album, Like Drawing Blood.
The Beatles' Million Sellers is an EP by the Beatles, released on 6 December 1965. The EP was only issued in mono, with the catalogue number Parlophone GEP 8946. It was also released in New Zealand. The EP consists of songs that had sold over 1 million copies each as singles, the biggest seller being She Loves You, which sold 1.89 million copies.
Kum Back is the first bootleg album by the Beatles, released in January 1970. The album is an early version of what would become Let It Be, sourced from a tape recording of an acetate prepared by the band's engineer, Glyn Johns. It is one of the earliest commercial rock bootlegs, the first being Great White Wonder by Bob Dylan which was released several months earlier.
"Eight Days a Week" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon based on McCartney's original idea. The song was released in the United Kingdom in December 1964 on the album Beatles for Sale. In the United States, it was first issued as a single in February 1965 before appearing on the North American release Beatles VI. The song was the band's seventh number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, a run of US chart success achieved in just over a year. The single was also number 1 in Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The Basics are an Australian band, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002, later joined by Tim Heath. Their style has been described as anything from 'indie-pop' to 'rock'n'roll', though their records show they span a wide range of genres, including reggae, pop-rock, folk, country, and electro-pop.
High Voltage is the debut studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released only in Australia and New Zealand, on 17 February 1975. Their first international release in 1976 would also be named High Voltage, though with a radically different track list.
"Call It Rhythm and Blues"/"Baby, Let Me In" is a single release by Australian rock and roll band The Basics. The single, featuring two non-album tracks, was the band's follow-up to their debut album Get Back; the band had toured heavily around Australia in the interim. The single was released on 20 August 2004, and features the band's original line-up of Kris Schroeder, Wally de Backer, and Michael Hubbard, although Hubbard had departed the band in June 2004, after the completion of the recording. Tim Heath had since joined the band on a permanent basis; hence, "Call It Rhythm and Blues/Baby, Let Me In" was the last Basics release to feature Michael Hubbard in any capacity.
