Mixing "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!", "Fixing A Hole", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"

About

On this day, from 7 pm to 1 am, the engineering team, formed of producer George Martin and engineers Geoff Emerick and Richard Lush, worked on stereo mixes of various “Sgt. Pepper” tracks as well as stereo mixes on crossfades between some songs.

Paul McCartney didn’t attend the session as he was enjoying a ten-day break in the US to visit his girlfriend Jane Asher. Probably, the other Beatles didn’t participate in this session, as explained by Richard Lush:

The only real version of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the mono version. The Beatles were there for all the mono mixes. Then, after the album was finished, George Martin, Geoff [Emerick] and I did the stereo in a few days, just the three of us, without a Beatle in sight. There are all sorts of things on the mono, little effects here and there, which the stereo doesn’t have.”

Richard Lush – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988

“With A Little Help From My Friends” was mixed in mono on March 31, 1967. On this day, Remixes Stereo 1 to 3 were created from Take 11, with RS3 serving as the stereo release version of the song.

“Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!“ was mixed in mono on March 31, 1967. On this day, eight attempts at creating the stereo mix, named Remix Stereo 1 to 8, were made from Take 9. Like for the mono mix, John Lennon’s vocals were treated with ADT (artificial double tracking), and the sound effects pieced together on February 20 were once again integrated into the track. RS8 served as the stereo release version of the track.

Mono [a] has more of the organ tape loops in the break after “Henry the horse dances the waltz”, perhaps a track not faded up in the mix of [b]?

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations

“Fixing A Hole” was mixed in mono on February 21, 1967. On this day, only one attempt, named Remix Stereo 1, was needed to create the stereo release version of the song from Take 3.

“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” was mixed in mono on March 3, 1967. On this day, five attempts, named Remixes Stereo 1 to 5, were created from Take 8. RS5 served as the stereo release version of the track.

Mono [a] has quite a bit of “phasing” not in [b – Stereo] – phasing is ADT with deliberate tape speed manipulation (“flanging”) for a classic pyschedelic effect. Note especially the third “Lucy” line in the first refrain, but it continues, notable again in second refrain and in instrumental part leading to third refrain. Stereo [b] sounds more natural but [a] is evidently what was desired.

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations

Crossfades

Last updated on January 21, 2024

Songs recorded

Staff

Production staff