Friday, July 18, 1969
Recording and mixing "Oh! Darling", "Octopus's Garden"
For The Beatles
Last updated on December 26, 2021
Friday, July 18, 1969
For The Beatles
Last updated on December 26, 2021
Feb 22 - Aug 25, 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Abbey Road
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Single Jul 16, 1969 • "My Dark Hour / Song For Our Ancestors" by The Steve Miller Band released in the US
Session Jul 17, 1969 • Recording "Oh! Darling", "Octopus's Garden"
Session Jul 18, 1969 • Recording and mixing "Oh! Darling", "Octopus's Garden"
Single Jul 18, 1969 • "Penina / Wings Of Revenge" by Carlos Mendes released globally
Single Jul 18, 1969 • "My Dark Hour / Song For Our Ancestors" by The Steve Miller Band released in the UK
Next session Jul 21, 1969 • Recording "Come Together"
Some of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Abbey Road" LP.
As he did on July 17, Paul McCartney arrived early at EMI Studios to re-record the lead vocals of “Oh! Darling“. Not satisfied, he would try again on July 22 and July 23.
Perhaps my main memory of the Abbey Road sessions is of Paul coming into studio three at two o’clock or 2.30 each afternoon, on his own, to do the vocal on Oh! Darling. […] Paul came in several days running to do the lead vocal on Oh! Darling. He’d come in, sing it and say ‘No, that’s not it, I’ll try it again tomorrow’. He only tried it once per day, I suppose he wanted to capture a certain rawness which could only be done once before the voice changed. […]
Alan Parsons, engineer – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn
Once Paul was done with “Oh! Darling“, The Beatles focused on Ringo Starr’s “Octopus’s Garden“, which had received some overdubs on the previous day.
With only two open tracks remaining and three vocal parts to be recorded, in order to accomplish the double-tracked lead vocal for Octopus’s Garden, an undocumented tape reduction with simultaneous superimposition was required.
From “The Beatles Recording Reference Manual – Volume 5” by Jerry Hammack
A decision was made to re-record Ringo’s lead vocals. Paul and George Harrison recorded some additional backing vocals, and Ringo added tom-tom beats from his drum kit.
In the end, the eight-track tape contained bass on track one, drums on two, bubbly sound effects and wobbled ‘underwater vocals’ on three, bass notes of a piano and a guitar doubling them on four, tom-tom beats and backing vocals by Paul and George on five; more backing vocals by Paul and George and a lead vocal overdubbed on six, piano and George’s lead guitar on seven, John’s guitar on eight.
From “Abbey Road” Super Deluxe edition book (2019) by Kevin Howlett
At 8 pm, the recording of “Octopus’s Garden” was over.
From 8 pm to 10:30 pm, time was spent mixing the track in mono and stereo. The final stereo mix made on the day was the one released on “Abbey Road“.
Recording • SI onto take 26
Written by Ringo Starr
Recording • SI onto take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 1 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 2 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 3 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 4 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 5 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 6 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 7 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 10 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 11 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 12 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 13 from take 32
Written by Ringo Starr
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 14 from take 32
AlbumOfficially released on Abbey Road
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!
Solid State: The Story of "Abbey Road" and the End of the Beatles
Acclaimed Beatles historian Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account yet of the writing, recording, mixing, and reception of Abbey Road. In February 1969, the Beatles began working on what became their final album together. Abbey Road introduced a number of new techniques and technologies to the Beatles' sound, and included "Come Together," "Something," and "Here Comes the Sun," which all emerged as classics.
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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