FAB50% is a home recording tribute, performed by Ian Jones and Michel Gallant, celebrating the legacy of The Beatles music.
Feb. 9, 1964 was the pivotal date for the Beatles success in North America with their first live US performance on the Ed Sullivan show.
This was the same year I started playing guitar. The Beatles disbanded in Dec, 1970.
We selected 108 of our favourite songs which represents just over half of The Beatles standard songbook of 211 recordings (186 are original Beatles' compositions)
representing the number of songs on their LP albums and singles, not counting repeat recordings, BBC releases etc. Hence the name FAB50%.
FAB50% Recordings FAB50% 2019 Remix
Guest Singers: 2020 Sergeant Pepper's
Our recordings were made from Dec 2014 to Mar 2017.
All tracks were recorded in the original key and tempo and mixed/mastered using modest equipment.
It was a great experience listening critically to the original Beatles recordings to learn vocals, bass, lead and rhythm guitar parts, drum and tambourine tracks
so masterfully mixed by George Martin.
Our intention was not necessarily to sound as close to the original recordings as possible, but rather to capture the overall feeling or "vibe" of the originals.
Some selections containing keyboard, orchestral strings and brass instruments were "interpreted" on guitar in, hopefully, a creative manner.
Several talented musicians contributed their talents (keyboard and drums) to some of the songs in FAB50%.
In 2018, a project FabFem was initiated, leveraging the FAB50% backtracks and featuring women singers redoing
the vocals to many of these songs. During this project, many of the backtracks were updated with keyboard, strings and brass sounds using
midi-samples and a high-quality sound card. The project continues with guest singers who have a passion for singing Beatles songs
being invited to contribute.
- May 8, 2020
How These Recordings Were Made
Ian Jones: Vocals
Michel Gallant: Vocal harmony, Guitars, Bass, Drums, Tambourine, Midi, Recording/Mixing
Pierre Gallant: Keyboards: Lady Madonna, Oh!Darling
Doug Corneil: Drums: She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Oh! Darling,
Magical Mystery Tour, Lady Madonna, Birthday, Something, Get Back
Evan Sauve: Drums: All I've Got To Do
Chris Must: Bass: I Want You, Good Day Sunshine, The Night Before, Glass Onion Harmonica: I'm A Loser, I Should Have Known Better, Love Me Do
Louis Gallant: Drums: Slow Down
Shari Tallon: Flute: You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Selected Songs By Album (108 total):
(Album titles are the original Parlophone versions)
Please Please Me: 9
With The Beatles: 7
A Hard Day's Night: 9
Beatles For Sale: 5
Help!: 10
Rubber Soul: 10
Revolver: 9
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 9
Magical Mystery Tour: 6
The Beatles: 7
Yellow Submarine: 1
Abbey Road: 9
Let It Be: 2
Past Masters V1 (singles): 9
Past Masters V2 (singles): 6