UK Release date : Friday, December 16, 1966
By The Tudor Minstrels • 7" Single • Part of the collection “Paul McCartney as producer, composer, or session musician in the 60s”
Last updated on December 27, 2022
Session Dec 15, 1966 • Recording "Love In The Open Air / Theme From The Family Way"
Single Dec 16, 1966 • "Pantomime: Everywhere It's Christmas" by The Beatles released in the UK
Single Dec 16, 1966 • "Love In The Open Air / Theme From "The Family Way" (UK)" by The Tudor Minstrels released in the UK
Article Dec 18, 1966 • Paul McCartney and Jane Asher attend the premiere of "The Family Way"
Article Dec 18, 1966 • Tara Browne dies
This album was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Early December 1966
Written by Paul McCartney
3:02 • Studio version • A • Mono
George Martin : Producer John Underwood : Viola Joy Hall : Cello Raymond Keenlyside : ViolinPerformed by : George Martin Orchestra Neville Marriner : Violin
Session Recording: Early December 1966 • Studio CTS Studios, London, UK
Written by Paul McCartney, George Martin
2:11 • Studio version • C • Mono • 7" version from Decca
George Martin : Producer John Underwood : Viola Joy Hall : Cello Raymond Keenlyside : ViolinPerformed by : George Martin Orchestra Neville Marriner : Violin
Session Recording: Early December 1966 • Studio CTS Studios, London, UK
Two versions of the “Love In The Open Air / Theme From The Family Way” single were released in the UK, one by Decca credited to “The Tudor Minstrels“, the other one by EMI’s affiliate, United Artists, under the name “George Martin and his Orchestra”.
The version of “Theme From The Family Way” released on the 7″ by Decca was unique to this release and is an edit of Track 1 (0’00 to 1’35) and Track 13 (0’00 to 1’02) of the soundtrack album.
Decca Records (U.K.) purchased the musical rights to the film, and although George Martin had been led to believe that only a soundtrack album would be issued, a single by “The Tudor Minstrels” (the soundtrack’s session musicians, so named after the Boulting brothers’ production company, Tudor Films) was scheduled for release on December 15th to tie in with the film’s premiere. This would seem to have been of little consequence, except that Martin had plans to issue his own single on the E.M.I.- affiliated United Artists label.
In order to level the playing field, Decca’s release was put back for a week, while Martin prepared his recording. And so on December 6th, before a Beatles’ session for another McCartney original, “When I’m Sixty-Four” (which Martin had also scored), George made tape copies of a handful of cues from the just-finished film soundtrack to assist in preparing the arrangements for his own orchestra. In between Beatles’ sessions for “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “When I’m Sixty-Four,” Martin found time to prepare his score, and in a three-hour session at E.M.I. on the moming of December 15th, recorded, mixed and mastered both sides of the single. Both discs (each coupling “Love In The Open Air” with “Theme From The Family War) were released on December 23rd, and failed to make any impression on the charts in the weeks that followed.
From the liner notes of The Family Way – Original Soundtrack Recording (2011), written by Chip Madinger, June 2011
PAUL’S FILM CAUSES A PANIC
PAUL McCartney’s first film theme music — which incidentally is the first new Beatles composition since “Revolver” and the first Paul McCartney music to be recorded by musicians before the Beatles have waxed it — has become the subject of considerable confusion in the last two weeks.
Paul has composed two items —the very beautiful “Love In The Open Air” and the mournfully dignified Theme of “The Family Way,” the name of the film. As arranger George Martin (and Beatles a-and-r man) forecast the former could be another “Limelight,” I think it’s worth telling you about the confusion.
For the first time in his career George Martin — who put Paul’s compositions on to paper, because Paul cannot write music, and who did the arrangements of the numbers for orchestra — finds that he is in competition with himself!
This Friday he has two instrumental singles of the two Paul McCartney tunes coming out on rival labels and issued by rival firms! It happened like this:
He conducted the film soundtrack of “The Family Way” for Tudor Films, the Boulting Brothers company which made the picture. It was agreed, George told me, that this would be brought out only as an LP.
However, the Decca company, which bought the music rights from the Boulting Brothers, decided differently and were all set to issue a single last week.
This was by the Tudor Minstrels, the name given to the studio orchestra which made the soundtrack and was conducted by George Martin.
When George heard of the Decca single, he was embarrassed because he had made plans to do a single of Paul’s music with his own orchestra for the EMI-associated United Artists label. He protested and had the copyright held up. Decca were forced to postpone the issuing or the record until George had completed his own version of the tunes. This has been done at a great rush this week and both records will be released this Friday.
George told me, after playing his United Artists versions of the tunes to me: “Naturally I hope my United Artists disc is more popular than the soundtrack version because it is under my name and get more money.”
Paul told me that he was surprised that Decca were issuing his composition but admitted that he had no say in this and never interfered with the business side or things.
He did, however, tell me the history of his first venture into film music composing.
“It was most unglamorous really. I rang our Nems Office and said I would like to write a film theme; not a score, just a theme. John was away filming so I had time to do it. Nems fixed it for me to do the theme of The Family Way.”
Paul was told the story of this Northern drama, which revolves around a young couple —Hayley Mills and Hyvell Bennett — who get married at the beginning of the film and then find that the man cannot consummate the marriage. The entire film revolves round this frustrating development but in the end, to the triumphant notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, everything comes all right one afternoon.
So McCartney can say he shares the film score with Beethoven — good company!
I asked George why he wanted to bring out his own single. Was it purely financial? George, a practical man, agreed that had some bearing but he also felt that the film soundtrack music, while fitting the visual film, wasn’t quite commercial to be issued as a single. So on his version he has speeded up the music a bit to make it more acceptable to record buyers.
Paul then told me how he had composed the opening theme, heard over the titles and against a background of the marriage in church. He played this on piano to George Martin, who told me: “I jotted the notes down and then got to work on the arrangement. I brought in, as Paul agreed, a church organ, a bit of a brass band with tuba to the fore, a string quartet flavour, and percussion, and merged the lot to play the Theme of The Family Way”
“I went to America for a time and on returning realised we needed a love theme for the centre of the picture, something wistful. I told Paul and he said he’d compose something. I waited, but nothing materialised, and finally I had to go round to Paul’s house and literally stand there till he’d composed something.
“John was visiting and advised a bit, but Paul created the tune and played it to me on guitar. I listened and wrote it down. It is a fragile, yet compelling, melody. I arranged it for woodwinds and strings and we called it ‘Love In The Open Air.’ It’s quite haunting,”
It was played to me and I agreed. You can visualise the open air scene with lovers around. In contrast the theme in the church had a dour, mournful, dirge-like dignity about it, which is quite catching.
Which, if either, disc will make the charts? It will be interesting to watch developments.
From New Musical Express – December 24, 1966
Love in the Open Air (Decca) Tudor Minstrels: Paul McCartney’s theme for the Hayley Mills film The Family Way. Oldeworlde misty melody with light guitar riff. Probably too square for commercial consumption, but with the magic Beatle name it could collect some sales.
From Evening Standard, December 17, 1966
Paul McCartney wrote the them “Love in The Open Air” for the new Hayley Mills – “The Family Way”. I heard it for the first time recorded by THE TUDO MINSTRELS (Decca F. 12536).
A melody every bit as memorable as “Yesterday” and a clear indication that Beatle Paul will be in great demand by movie moguls during 1967.
From Staffordshire Weekly Sentinel – December 30, 1966
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