Saturday, October 12, 1968
Mixing "Everybody's Got Something...", "Helter Skelter", "Mother Nature's Son", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Long, Long, Long"
For The Beatles
Last updated on September 11, 2021
Saturday, October 12, 1968
For The Beatles
Last updated on September 11, 2021
"The Beatles" (aka the White Album) sessions
May 30 - Oct 18, 1968 • Songs recorded during this session appear on The Beatles (Mono)
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Previous session Oct 11, 1968 • Recording and mixing "Savoy Truffle", "Piggies", "Don't Pass Me By", "Good Night"
Session Oct 12, 1968 • Mixing "Everybody's Got Something...", "Helter Skelter", "Mother Nature's Son", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Long, Long, Long"
Some of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "The Beatles (Mono)" LP.
This day was devoted to the creation of mono and stereo mixes, for five songs to appear on the White Album.
The recording of “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” had been completed on July 23, and five attempts at a mono mix were then done. On this day, the mono and stereo mixes released on the White Album were made. The only notable difference between the stereo and mono mixes is the “come on” screaming in the last verse is somewhat different.
The recording of “Helter Skelter” was completed on September 10 and the mono mix was made on September 17. On this day, the stereo mix released on the White Album was made. From beatlesebooks.com:
Five attempts were made at creating this difficult mix, the fifth try, no doubt, being the one used on the released album. The backing vocals were pushed more in the background, Paul’s lead guitar in the instrumental break was brought up higher in the mix, and the chatter and extraneous sounds during the break at the three minute mark was left in this time around. And, most notably, a decision was made to fade the song back up for the listener to hear its full conclusion as well as Ringo’s “blisters” cry.
The mono mix fades at 3.36, while the stereo mix reaches 4:29. The mono mix excludes Ringo Starr’s shout “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!“.
The recording of “Mother Nature’s Son” had been completed on August 20, and eight attempts at a mono mix were then done. On this day, the mono and stereo mixes released on the White Album were made.
The recording and mixing process for “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” had been laborious. The recording started in early July, three remakes were done. At the end of the recording process, on July 15, ten mono mixes had been made but judged unsatisfactory. On this day, one more attempt at creating the mono mix was done, and the result was released on the White Album. Four stereo mixes were also made on this day, including the one released on the stereo version of the album.
The first attempt at a mono mix of “Long, Long, Long” was done on this day, but this mix was deemed not good enough. A proper mono mix would be on October 14.
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 1 from take 12
AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (Stereo)
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 1 from take 21
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 2 from take 21
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 3 from take 21
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 4 from take 21
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 5 from take 21
AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (Stereo)
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 1 from take 26
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 2 from take 26
AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (Stereo)
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 1 from take 23
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 2 from take 23
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 3 from take 23
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 4 from take 23
AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (Stereo)
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 1 from take 12
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 1 from take 26
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 2 from take 26
AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (Mono)
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 10 from take 23
AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (Mono)
Written by George Harrison
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 1 from take 67
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 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)
The fourth book of this critically acclaimed series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)" captures The Beatles as they take the lessons of Sgt. Pepper forward with an ambitious double-album that is equally innovative and progressive. 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.
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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