Mixing "Hot As Sun", "Every Night", "Don't Cry Baby"

In late December 1969 and on January 17, 1970, Paul McCartney began recording new material using a Studer J37 4-track tape recorder that had recently been installed at his home in London. Believing these experiments could evolve into his first solo album, he moved to EMI Studios, Abbey Road, to continue the work. He spent time there on January 24, February 7 and 8 and again on February 15.

From February 16 to February 20, Paul relocated to Morgan Studios, where he continued recording the album. On February 21 and 22, he returned to EMI Studios.

On this day, February 24, from 3:30 pm to 6:15 pm, Paul was assisted by engineer John Kurlander and tape operator John Leckie, a recent Abbey Road recruit who had joined on February 15. Leckie would later become a balance engineer and, in 1972, contribute in that role to Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Red Rose Speedway” and the single “Hi, Hi, Hi.”

This would have been my second week [at Abbey Road], and I was straight in at the deep end with Paul. I always remember, Paul and Linda were making tea down in the studio. This was in the big room at Abbey Road, where the control room is upstairs. Paul looked up and said to me, ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ and I said ‘Yes, please.’ And he said, ‘It’s orange pekoe, is that okay? Come and get it then.’ And he had a teapot and a proper China cup.

John Leckie – Email exchange with Adrian Sinclair, July 2017 – From “The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969 – 73” by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair, 2022

The first task of the day was to mix “Hot As Sun,” recorded at Morgan Studios on February 19. Work then shifted to “Every Night,” recorded on February 22. A mix had been prepared at the end of that recording session; on this day, five further attempts were made, with Remix Stereo 5 deemed the best version.

The session concluded with a mix of “Don’t Cry Baby,” a brief track in which Paul sings a lullaby to his daughter Mary. This track was later mixed into the beginning of “Oo You” and remained unreleased until 2011, when it appeared on the “McCartney – Archive Collection“.

Session activities

1. Hot As Sun

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing

   AlbumOfficially released on McCartney

2. Every Night

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 1

3. Every Night

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 2

4. Every Night

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 3

5. Every Night

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 4

6. Every Night

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 5

   AlbumOfficially released on McCartney

7. Don't Cry Baby

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing

   AlbumOfficially released on McCartney - Archive Collection

Staff

Production staff

Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989

With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.

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The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969 – 73

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Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium

Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium is the ultimate look at the careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr beyond the Beatles. Every aspect of their professional careers as solo artists is explored, from recording sessions, record releases and tours, to television, film and music videos, including everything in between. From their early film soundtrack work to the officially released retrospectives, all solo efforts by the four men are exhaustively examined.

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