The Beatles had experimented with instrument swapping before, but never to such hypnotic effect: McCartney adds Mellotron and booming timpani Lennon supplements his inquisitive acoustic guitar progression with piano and bongos Ringo pounds home decorative drum fills and Harrison sneaks in descending lines with the swarmandal, an Indian harp, suggesting the passage from reality to fantasy. George Martin never cared for the Mellotron, the ghostly keyboard first used by the Beatles on 1967's "Strawberry Fields Forever ," describing the instrument's origins thusly: "…as if a Neanderthal piano had impregnated a primitive electronic keyboard." But that distinctive sound is the signature of "Strawberry Fields" - its drowsy opening flute fanfare beckons us into a childlike daydream, signifying the Beatles' transformation into a full-on psychedelic band.
The drummer returned to the studio weeks later, finding his kit decorated with flowers. Ringo has always taken a lot of flak for being the Beatles' weakest link, but "Back in the U.S.S.R." proved just how important he was - ironically, through his absence. You can hear the band attempting to emulate Ringo's signature tumbling fills, but the same sophisticated spark just isn't there. Both Harrison and Lennon overdubbed additional bass to flesh out a composite track they also contributed extra drums, with McCartney's tense kit work mixed loudest amidst the "ooh-ohh" harmonies. But the recording of McCartney's Beach Boys homage "Back in the U.S.S.R." was especially complicated since Ringo Starr had temporarily quit the group, leaving the remaining trio to pick up the slack. The White Album sessions were tense and scattered overall: Yoko Ono's presence in the studio became a distraction for everyone not named John meanwhile, longtime engineer Geoff Emerick, frustrated by the band's squabbling, quit midway through.
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