Thursday, August 14, 1969
Mixing the "Abbey Road" medley
For The Beatles
Last updated on December 27, 2021
Thursday, August 14, 1969
For The Beatles
Last updated on December 27, 2021
Feb 22 - Aug 25, 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Abbey Road
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Aug 12, 1969 • Mixing "Oh! Darling", "Because", "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
Session Aug 13, 1969 • Mixing "You Never Give Me Your Money"
Session Aug 14, 1969 • Mixing the "Abbey Road" medley
Some of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Abbey Road" LP.
A first attempt at mixing the “Abbey Road” medley (named “The Long One” or “Huge Melody” at this stage) had been done on July 30, 1969. Since this date, all songs composing the medley had received various overdubs. On this day, in a twelve hours session (from 2:30 pm to 2:30 am), those songs were mixed, edited and crossfaded.
The first task of the day was to create stereo mixes for “Sun King / Mean Mr. Mustard” (two songs recorded as one track). Five attempts were made (numbered 20 – 24), remix 22 being deemed the best.
Time was then spent mixing “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” (which is not part of the medley). An edit piece from Take 27 was mixed (named remix 37) and incorporated into remix 34 (done on August 12).
“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” was now completed. However, an edit done on August 25 would cut the instrumental introduction of the song.
Thirteen mixes of “Polythene Pam / She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” (again, two songs recorded as one track) were then made, numbered from 20 to 32, remix 32 considered the best.
The crossfade of “You Never Give Me Your Money” into “Sun King / Mean Mr. Mustard” was attempted eleven times on this day, using the tape loops assembled by Paul McCartney on August 5. It would be perfected on August 21.
“Sun King / Mean Mr. Mustard” were then joined to “Polythene Pam / She Came In Through The Bathroom Window“, “by means of a hard edit, without the merest hint of a gap between the two“, as stated by Mark Lewisohn in “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions“.
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 20 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 21 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 22 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 23 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 24 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 20 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 21 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 22 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 23 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 24 from take 35
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Edit piece remix 37, from take 27
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 20 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 21 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 22 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 23 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 24 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 25 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 26 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 27 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 28 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 29 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 30 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 31 from take 40
Recording • Stereo mixing - Remix 32 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 20 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 21 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 22 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 23 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 24 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 25 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 26 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 27 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 28 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 29 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 30 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 31 from take 40
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 32 from take 40
Mixing • Stereo crossfade of "You Never Give Me Your Money" into "Sun King / Mean Mr. Mustard" (Remixes 1-11, from sound effects take 5 of "You Never Give Me Your Money")
Editing • Editing of stereo remixes 34 and 37
Editing • Editing of "Sun King / Mean Mr. Mustard" (remix stereo 22) and "Polythene Pam / She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" (remix stereo 32)
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!
Solid State: The Story of "Abbey Road" and the End of the Beatles
Acclaimed Beatles historian Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account yet of the writing, recording, mixing, and reception of Abbey Road. In February 1969, the Beatles began working on what became their final album together. Abbey Road introduced a number of new techniques and technologies to the Beatles' sound, and included "Come Together," "Something," and "Here Comes the Sun," which all emerged as classics.
If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.
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