"Taxman"
In “Taxman,” the guitar provides a relatively simple backbeat-driven groove with chord stabs on beats 2 and 4. This rhythm recalls the band’s earlier rock and Merseybeat sensibilities while integrating more sophisticated harmonic textures. However, in this context the guitar is acting as a counter riff to the bass guitar. In a similar manner to the riff-based grooves of R&B musicians, these chord stabs are just one building block in the larger groove.
The song features inventive use of two shapes of the dominant seventh sharp ninth chord. A fifth-string voicing punctuates the close of each verse (0:12, 0:19), providing a relatively smooth, consonant resolution. Although not notated here, the G7♯9 chord after the solo is voiced on the sixth string (1:29) in a more dissonant, abrasive manner, accentuating the lyric “‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah – I’m the taxman” and giving the song a sharp, biting edge that complements its satirical message.