Mother Nature's Son (album)
Encyclopedia
Mother Nature’s Son is a studio album recorded by Ramsey Lewis
which was released on Cadet Records
. The album was produced by Charles Stepney and consisted of ten instrumental songs which were originally recorded on the album The Beatles
, also known as The White Album.
, in December, 1968, only a short time after the 22 November 1968 release of The Beatles
album. Offering a potential clue as to why Lewis had recorded an album of Beatles songs, producer and arranger Charles Stepney expressed his admiration for the sounds achieved by Beatles producer George Martin
in a 1970 interview with Down Beat
. In the same interview he also said that he produced the "electronic texture" effect on the album using the Moog synthesizer
, an instrument he anticipated "working with for about 10 years". The following year the Beatles themselves used the Moog synthesizer
extensively in the recording of their final studio album, Abbey Road
.
Woodwind Amplification by MAESTRO, Chicago Musical Instrumental Company, Lincolnwood, Illinois
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
which was released on Cadet Records
Cadet Records
Cadet Records was started as Argo Records in 1955 as the jazz subsidiary of Chess Records. Argo changed its name in 1965 to Cadet to avoid confusion with the similarly named label in the UK...
. The album was produced by Charles Stepney and consisted of ten instrumental songs which were originally recorded on the album The Beatles
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
, also known as The White Album.
Cover Art
The album cover was designed by Jerry Griffith and depicts Lewis sitting at a grand piano in a tropical garden feeding a rabbit with his right hand while holding another rabbit with his left.Side 1
- Mother Nature's SonMother Nature's Son"Mother Nature's Son" is a Lennon–McCartney song, written primarily by Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles on The Beatles . It was inspired by a lecture given by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi while the Beatles were in India. The same lecture inspired Lennon's unreleased song "Child of Nature",...
- Rocky RaccoonRocky Raccoon"Rocky Raccoon" is a song by The Beatles from the double-disc album The Beatles . The song was primarily written by Paul McCartney, who was inspired while playing acoustic guitar with John Lennon and Donovan in India .-Composition:The song, a folk rock ballad, is titled from the character's name,...
- Julia
- Back in the U.S.S.R.
- Dear PrudenceDear Prudence"Dear Prudence" is a song written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released by The Beatles as the second track on their 1968 double-disc album entitled The Beatles, commonly known as The White Album.-Composition:...
Side 2
- Cry Baby CryCry Baby Cry"Cry Baby Cry" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon, from their 1968 album The Beatles.-Composition:Demos of the song indicate that Lennon wrote the song in late 1967...
- Good NightGood Night (song)-External links:*...
- Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My MonkeyEverybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" is a song written by John Lennon and performed by The Beatles on their 1968 album The Beatles, also known as "The White Album".-Origins:...
- Sexy SadieSexy Sadie (song)"Sexy Sadie" is the name of a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon in India and credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Composition:Lennon originally wanted to title the song "Maharishi", but changed the title to "Sexy Sadie" at George Harrison's request...
- BlackbirdBlackbird (song)"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles . Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Origins:...
Recording
The album was recorded at Ter Mar Studio, ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, in December, 1968, only a short time after the 22 November 1968 release of The Beatles
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
album. Offering a potential clue as to why Lewis had recorded an album of Beatles songs, producer and arranger Charles Stepney expressed his admiration for the sounds achieved by Beatles producer George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
in a 1970 interview with Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
. In the same interview he also said that he produced the "electronic texture" effect on the album using the Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
, an instrument he anticipated "working with for about 10 years". The following year the Beatles themselves used the Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
extensively in the recording of their final studio album, Abbey Road
Abbey Road (album)
Abbey Road is the eleventh studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles and their last recorded. Though Let It Be was the last album released before the band's dissolution in 1970, work on Abbey Road began in April 1969...
.
Personnel
- Ramsey LewisRamsey LewisRamsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
– keyboards - Charles Stepney – producer, conductor, orchestra arrangement, Moog synthesizerMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
- Ron Malo – engineer
- Ray Komorski – photography
- Jerry Griffith – cover design
- Marshell Chess – album supervision
Woodwind Amplification by MAESTRO, Chicago Musical Instrumental Company, Lincolnwood, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...