Recording the "Magical Mystery Tour" soundtrack
Apr 25 - May 3 and Aug 22 - Nov 17, 1967 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Magical Mystery Tour (US LP - Mono)
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Interview May 1967 • Paul McCartney interview for Hit Parader
Session May 03, 1967 • Recording "Magical Mystery Tour" #4
Session May 04, 1967 • Mixing "Magical Mystery Tour"
Session May 09, 1967 • Jamming
Article May 11, 1967 • "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" leaks on US radio
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Magical Mystery Tour (US LP - Mono)" LP
In April of 1967, Paul McCartney spent two weeks vacationing in the United States before boarding a flight back to London on April 12. During the flight, he borrowed a notepad from a stewardess and defined a rough plan for a Beatles television film. Later, on April 25, the Beatles recorded the basic track of the theme song for their upcoming project “Magical Mystery Tour”. Over the course of three days, April 26 and 27, and May 3, they completed the recording of the track.
On this day, from 7 pm to 11:15 pm, seven mono mixes for “Magical Mystery Tour” were created from Take 9. These mixes were numbered RM1 to RM7, even though four previous mixes had been made on April 27.
During the mix, Richard added a lot of wobbly echo to the “roll up” backing vocals, and the piano signal was fed through a Leslie, making it quite a production. All in all, more than four days were spent on the track, and the care that went into it really shows.
Geoff Emerick – From “Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles“, 2006
RM7 was considered the best mix and was used for the “Magical Mystery Tour” television special. However, for the record releases, an additional vocal overdub and a new mono mix were made on November 7, 1967.
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 1 from take 9
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 2 from take 9
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 3 from take 9
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 4 from take 9
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 5 from take 9
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 6 from take 9
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 7 from take 9
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 3: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band through Magical Mystery Tour (late 1966-1967)
The third book of this critically - acclaimed series, nominated for the 2019 Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) award for Excellence In Historical Recorded Sound, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 3: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band through Magical Mystery Tour (late 1966-1967)" captures the band's most innovative era in its entirety. 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.
Notice any inaccuracies on this page? Have additional insights or ideas for new content? Or just want to share your thoughts? We value your feedback! Please use the form below to get in touch with us.
