June 13, 2023
#113 - Piggies with guest Andre Bohren (musician, The Walrus, 1000s of others)
Ranking The BeatlesAbout this episode
By the time of the White Album , George Harrison had mellowed considerably, thanks in part to his immersion in meditation. His newfound enlightenment replacing the dour, bitter side that came out in earlier songs like "Don't Bother Me," or "Taxman." So it's interesting that this chilled out version of George would decide to pickup the abandoned-in-1966 song "Piggies" to complete for the band's 1968 album. But indeed he does, and with a big assist from Abbey Road engineer Chris Thomas, turns in an Orwellian baroque classical-influenced social commentary track about class inequity. It's an outlier on a album with many outliers, but it's a really fun, light-hearted yet heavy-handed track that wouldn't work nearly as well without the harpsichord work of Thomas, who happened to be overseeing the session and had the gumption to suggest, and then perform that part that essentially drives the whole track. Whether it's essential is another argument for another podcast, but it wouldn't be the White Album without "Piggies." Bringing a close to 3 Weeks of The Walrus is the caboose that makes our Beatley engine work, Andre Bohren . Andre is commonly known in musical circles as a drummer, mainly holding it down for Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes and being one of the busier drummers for hire in the area. He's the drummer in the Walrus, but he's also the keyboardist/pianist and he often plays drums and keys at the same time. You see, he's a classically trained pianist, who, when he's not playing drums, also does classical performances at clubs and festivals all over town. And since I know nothing about classical music, he's the guy for the job. We chat about some of the intricacies of classical music, the chronological proximity of the Beatles to classical composers (its about the same from then to now, terrifyingly enough), Chris Thomas, MVP, and the playful "screw you" that is "Piggies." Check out everything Andre, and get a copy of his fantastic classical piano record Resonance at https://www.andrebohren.com/ . What do you think? Too high? Too low? Or just right? Let us know in the comments on Facebook , Instagram @rankingthebeatles , or Twitter @rankingbeatles ! Be sure to visit rankingthebeatles.com ! Wanna show your support? Buy us a coffee !