Part of
"The Beatles" (aka the White Album) sessions
May 30 - Oct 18, 1968 • Songs recorded during this session appear on The Beatles (Mono)
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- Album Songs recorded during this session officially appear on the The Beatles (Mono) LP.
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Timeline
More from year 1968
Some songs from this session appear on:
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About
This was the penultimate mixing session for the White Album. The session was short, lasting around two hours. Various stereo and mono mixes of “Happiness Is A Warm Gun“, “I’m So Tired” and “Cry Baby Cry” were made on this day. It’s not clear which of The Beatles (if any) attended this session. Ringo Starr was on holiday in Sardinia at the time.
“Happiness Is A Warm Gun” had been recorded in late September, and the mono mix was made on September 26. On this day, the stereo mix released on the White Album was made. As usual, the stereo mix has some slight differences compared to the mono mix. From beatlesebooks.com:
George Martin inadvertently faded up John’s omitted “I need a fix…” vocal line a little early on this stereo mix, the listener being able to hear the last word “down” on top of George’s last lead guitar solo note. The organ notes in the first section of the song are much quieter in the stereo mix and are faded out a little earlier, while the bass guitar in the “I need a fix…” section of the stereo mix is also lower in volume. The slight laughter that is heard just before the final drum beat of the song in the mono mix is removed in the stereo mix, thanks to the perfectionist George Martin.
“I’m So Tired” had been recorded on October 8. On this day, the mono and stereo mixes released on the White Album were made. A decision was taken to remove most of John’s organ and most of George’s lead guitar, as well as some harmonies. The mono mix emphasizes Paul’s backing vocals in the choruses much more prominently than the stereo mix.
“Cry Baby Cry” was recorded in July with the latest overdubs added on September 17. On this day, the mono and stereo mixes released on the White Album were made.
John’s acoustic guitar was flanged on both the stereo and mono mixes on this day as well. It took five tries to get a suitable stereo mix, the fifth attempt undoubtedly being the best which panned the vocals predominantly to the left channel during the choruses and centered in the mix during the verses. Only one remix was needed to get a suitable mono mix on this day.
From beatlesebooks.com
On the next day, “Cry Baby Cry” would be completed with a 28-second long portion of the “Can You Take Me Back“, added at its very end.
Last updated on September 11, 2021
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Going further
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 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 like to think, in all modesty, that the Paul McCartney Project is the best online ressource for everything Paul McCartney, The Beatles Bible is for sure the definitive online site focused on the Beatles. There are obviously some overlap in terms of content between the two sites, but also some major differences in terms of approach.
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