Recording "Cry Baby Cry"

On the day before, The Beatles had rehearsed John Lennon’s song “Cry Baby Cry“. They spent this day recording it.

From 4 pm to 9 pm, they recorded 10 takes of the basic track with John Lennon on acoustic guitar and vocals, Paul McCartney on bass, and Ringo Starr on drums (If George Harrison contributed to this basic track is not clear). Take 10 was considered to be the best and two reduction mixes were done.

Take 1 was released on the Anthology 3:

The basic master of John Lennon’s Cry Baby Cry was captured at the end of a mid-evening recording session in Abbey Road on 16 July 1968. Five hours earlier this Anthology selection – Take 1 – was laid down, performed live at the studio, without overdubs. Although never used, it proved that the players were immediately on the right track.

From the liner notes of Anthology 3

From 10 pm to 2 am, the first overdubs were added onto take 12 – George Martin played harmonium, and a piano contribution was also added. Mark Lewisohn, in “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions“, reported the piano was played by John, while “The Beatles” super deluxe book, 2018, says Paul played it.

The night we started making this one I jotted in my diary “That George sure wields a mean blues axe. That Paul tools a real smooth heavy-axe that is”. This is John’s number all the way with strong, heavy and very Lennon vocal. He also plays piano and organ. I suppose you could call this a Beatles-type nursery rhyme – all about the King of Marigold, his wife and kids, The Duchess of Kirkcaldy and her Duke. With a midnight seance round the table put into the last verse for good measure! George Martin plays harmonium.

Mal Evans – From the Beatles Monthly Book, N°64, November 1968

But the highlight of the session was engineer Geoff Emerick announcing he was leaving:

I lost interest in the ‘White Album’ because they were really arguing amongst themselves and swearing at each other. The expletives were really flying. There was one instance just before I left when they were doing ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ for the umpteenth time. Paul was re-recording the vocal again and George Martin made some remark about how he should be lilting onto the half-beat or whatever and Paul, in no refined way, said something to the effect of ‘Well you come down and sing it.’

Geoff Emerick – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn

The next afternoon, I walked dejectedly into the control room, where both Richard (Lush) and George Martin were sitting quietly. None of The Beatles had arrived yet: they were late as usual. I took a deep breath and at last the words came out. ‘That’s it, George,’ I announced. ‘I’ve decided I can’t take it anymore. I’m leaving.’… ‘What are you talking about?’ he said. ‘You can’t leave in the middle of an album.’ ‘I can, George, and I am.’

Geoff Emerick – From “Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles“, 2006 – Quoted in beatlesebooks.com

Oh, it was a nightmare. I was becoming physically sick just thinking of going to the studio each night. I used to love working with the band. By that point, I dreaded it. Getting out was the only thing I could do.

Geoff Emerick – From MusicRadar, 2014 interview

Geoff Emerick would work again with The Beatles on April 14, 1969 for the recording of “The Ballad Of John And Yoko” and on the “Abbey Road” album. He was replaced by Ken Scott for the rest of the White Album sessions. Ken Scott had a less harsh recollection of those days than Emerick:

Over the years there has been so much written about the animosity that supposedly pervaded the studio. It’s all been blown way out of proportion. Of course, there was some strife, but there always is during any project, and what The Beatles experienced during the making of the ‘White Album’ just wasn’t that different from what I’ve experienced on most projects at some time or another.

Ken Scott

The Beatles would continue working on “Cry Baby Cry” two days after, on July 18.

Session activities

1. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 1

   AlbumOfficially released on Anthology 3

2. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 2

3. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 3

4. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 4

5. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 5

6. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 6

7. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 7

8. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 8

9. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 9

10. Cry Baby Cry

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 10

11. Cry Baby Cry

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Tape copying • Tape reduction take 10 into take 11

12. Cry Baby Cry

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Tape copying • Tape reduction take 10 into take 12

13. Cry Baby Cry

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • SI onto take 12

Staff

Musicians on "Cry Baby Cry"

Production staff

Going further