Recording "Carry On Till Tomorrow"

The Iveys were a Welsh-English rock band who, in July 1968, became the first non-Beatle recording artists signed to Apple. They released a couple of singles with limited chart success, and soon began work on their debut LP, “Maybe Tomorrow.” However, Apple delayed the release, and the album eventually saw the light of day only in Italy, Germany, and Japan in August 1969.

In the meantime, Paul McCartney was asked to contribute three songs to the soundtrack of “The Magic Christian,” a new film starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. Seeing an opportunity for The Iveys, Paul offered them one of his own compositions, “Come And Get It,” which they recorded on August 2, 1969 with Paul as producer.

Paul then had to convince Commonwealth United Films, the company producing “The Magic Christian,” that The Iveys could supply the other two tracks. He played them “Come and Get It,” which the company liked. They agreed to let The Iveys contribute two additional songs, provided Paul supervised the recordings. He then took on the role of producer for “Carry On Till Tomorrow” and “Rock of All Ages.”

On this day, The Iveys returned to EMI Studios at Abbey Road with Paul McCartney to record “Carry On Till Tomorrow.“

Paul had asked George Martin to write a string arrangement for the song, which was recorded on August 26-27.

We saw the opening of the film and Paul gave us his impression, mentioning a ‘Simon and Garfunkel’ type of style. Pete and I went back and wrote ‘Carry On Til Tomorrow,’ which we were pleased with. Paul liked the song and brought us into Abbey Road Studios. He gave us leeway, added a few ideas, and produced it. He was very free in his approach.

Tom Evans – From “Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger” by Dan Matovina, 1997

Pete laid down a stinging guitar break, Ron contributed counterpoint bass, and the Iveys blended their charismatic voices towards the heavens. The hard work and long hours were paying off. This was a solid, well-produced track they could proudly call their own. Mike: “This was a test of our strengths, our potential. We only saw rough cuts. It was difficult for us to imagine the total finished film.”

The words to “Carry On Til Tomorrow,” and its traditional-folk mood, were inspired by the film’s opening title sequence, in which a downcast Ringo is rescued from his miserable life by Peter Sellers; a wealthy man looking for someone to mentor.

From “Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger” by Dan Matovina, 1997

From Tom Brennan’s Badfinger Library:

Booked for “The Iveys”: Studio 3 from 2:30 – 5:30 PM (4-track). Studio 2 from 7:00 – 10:00 PM (8-track).
Actual: Studio 2 from 2:30 – 4:30 PM (8-track).
Recordings: 9 takes on EMI reel E93364 (takes 1-4, 7 were breakdowns; take 9 was best and taken away by Mal Evans).

Session activities

1. Carry on Till Tomorrow

   Written by Pete Ham, Tom Evans

   Recording

Staff

Musicians on "Carry on Till Tomorrow"

Production staff