This site has turned the tracks off dozens of platinum albums into sonograms, then analyzed the sonogram similarities between different hits, trying to peg the mathematics of a hit.
This one's as loud as some hypercompressed records! It's an interesting sidelight on how different sound densities are perceived- since Helter Skelter was made not to be 'loud and rocking', but to be pretty near unbearable, mind-melting overload. Everything is cranked up way past the limit- the Beatles were running around the studio wacked out on acid setting fire to things while this was being recorded, way out of control- and yet, the melodic elements and the rhythmic drive of the tune are STILL stronger than hypercompressed music of similar density. Background vocal harmonies are hard sharp little lines on the sonogram. Ringo's crazed, brutal pounding makes clearly defined lines behind everything, covering a range from around 3K down to nearly 30 hz on some hits, just from the sheer impact alone. If you're curious, Paul's famous ungodly shriek "LOOK OUT! Helter Skelter!" happens just after the slight gap to the right side of the sonogram- you can see it about a third of the way from the top, in a yellow-white color, and there are overtones above that, which also belong to that earsplitting shriek. Very few things can make a noise that loud at 5-10K- Sir Paul was one of them ;)
(via MeFi)
