Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Concert Aug 09, 1964 • United Kingdom • Scarborough
Session Aug 11, 1964 • "Beatles for Sale" Session #1
Session Aug 14, 1964 • "Beatles for Sale" Session #2
Concert Aug 16, 1964 • United Kingdom • Blackpool
Concert Aug 19, 1964 • USA • San Francisco
Next session Sep 29, 1964 • "Beatles for Sale" Session #3
Some of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Beatles For Sale (Mono)" LP.
From Anthology 1 liner notes:
In keeping with the frantic pace of events in 1964, sessions for Beatles For Sale, the group’s second album of the year and their fourth so far, had to be woven between US and British tour commitments.
A Hard Day’s Night had featured 13 new songs from John and Paul but Beatles For Sale ran only to eight – the six remaining numbers were cover versions, refugees from an earlier era, when the Beatles’ nightly performances in Liverpool and Hamburg required a repertoire of no little length and breadth. So, after completing Baby’s In Black and I’m A Loser, two new Lennon-McCartney songs that were ready to be recorded, the Beatles turned back the calendar to mine a couple of their old R&B favourites. Both featured searing John Lennon lead vocals.
First issued in 1962 by Dr. Feelgood and the Interns, Mr. Moonlight was the first. The version on Beatles For Sale was a remake, taped at EMI on 18 October, but four unreleased takes were recorded on 14 August, and a combination of One and Four is presented here. The first broke down after John’s laudable attempt at the shouted introduction. “Nearly!” commented Paul, a wry smile in his voice, as he encouraged his band mate to have another crack at it. Take 4, only the second complete run-through, lacked the organ track that distinguished the October remake, but George’s guitar solo in the bridge proves that experimentation with new and different sounds was now a definite quest.
It was at ten o’clock, when Abbey Road regulations stated that sessions were supposed to end, that the Beatles began Leave My Kitten Alone. This had been a 1959 R&B hit for Little Willie John, covered in 1960 by Johnny Preston, both versions entering the Billboard US Hot 100 in January 1961. The Beatles taped five takes of Leave My Kitten Alone before deciding that the last was the best and so adding overdubs … but that’s where they left it. The recording was never mixed down for release on Beatles For Sale and was destined to remain unissued for more than 30 years – until now.
Recording • Take 1
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Recording • Take 2
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Recording • Take 3
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Recording • Take 4
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Recording • Take 5
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Recording • Take 6
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Recording • Take 7
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Recording • Take 8
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Written by Roy Lee Johnson
Recording • Take 1
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Written by Roy Lee Johnson
Recording • Take 2
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Written by Roy Lee Johnson
Recording • Take 3
Unreleased track
Written by Roy Lee Johnson
Recording • Take 4
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Mixing • Remix 1 from take 8
Mixing • Remix 1 from take 14
Written by Little Willie John, James McDougal, Titus Turner
Recording • Take 1
Unreleased track
Written by Little Willie John, James McDougal, Titus Turner
Recording • Take 2
Unreleased track
Written by Little Willie John, James McDougal, Titus Turner
Recording • Take 3
Unreleased track
Written by Little Willie John, James McDougal, Titus Turner
Recording • Take 4
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Written by Little Willie John, James McDougal, Titus Turner
Recording • Take 5
AlbumReleased on bootleg Beatles For Sale - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions • Mark Lewisohn
The definitive guide for every Beatles recording sessions from 1962 to 1970.
We owe a lot to Mark Lewisohn for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - the number of takes for each song, who contributed what, a description of the context and how each session went, various photographies... And an introductory interview with Paul McCartney!
The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 1: My Bonnie through Beatles For Sale (1961-1964)
Nominated for the 2018 Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.
The first book of the series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 1: My Bonnie through Beatles For Sale (1961-1964)" tracks the evolution of the band from their earliest recordings and initial hits, through "Please Please Me", "With The Beatles", "A Hard Day's Night", and "Beatles For Sale". From the first take to the final remix, discover the making of the greatest recordings of all time.
Through extensive, fully-documented research, these books fill an important gap left by all other Beatles books published to date and provide a unique view into the recordings of the world's most successful pop music act.
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