29/01/2025
Today’s “Best Beatles Guitar Solos” is ‘Taxman’
On one of the most powerful guitar solos to be found on a Beatles song, Paul channels a bit of Jeff Beck (with descending pull-offs a la Shapes of Things).
“I liked ‘Taxman’ just because of what it was... It was really my first voyage into feedback,” Paul said.
“I got the guitar and was playing around in the studio with the feedback and stuff, and I said to George, ‘Maybe you could play it like this.’ I can't quite remember how it happened that I played it, but it was probably one of those times when somebody says, ‘Well, why don't you do it then?’”
“George was generally a little more restrained in his guitar playing. He wasn't into heavy feedback.”
Although there are claims that the Taxman guitar solo was later reversed, slowed down, edited and used during the instrumental break in ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, the two parts are quite different and were likely recorded on different days.
Thanks to Boris.
