Wednesday, August 28, 1968
Recording "Dear Prudence"
For The Beatles
Last updated on September 3, 2021
Wednesday, August 28, 1968
For The Beatles
Last updated on September 3, 2021
"The Beatles" (aka the White Album) sessions
May 30 - Oct 18, 1968 • Songs recorded during this session appear on The Beatles (Mono)
Recording studio: Trident Studios, London, UK
Single Aug 26, 1968 • "Sour Milk Sea / The Eagle Laughs at You" by Jackie Lomax released in the US
Session Aug 27, 1968 • Tape copying "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Blackbird", "Not Guilty", "Revolution 9"
Session Aug 28, 1968 • Recording "Dear Prudence"
Session Aug 29, 1968 • Recording "Dear Prudence"
Article Aug 30, 1968 • Paul McCartney attends Neil Aspinall's wedding
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "The Beatles (Mono)" LP
On this day, The Beatles started working on John Lennon’s “Dear Prudence” at Trident Studios. They were still a trio, as Ringo Starr had temporarily left the group on August 22. The Beatles had previously worked at Trident, on July 31, 1968, to record “Hey Jude” and take benefit of its eight-track machine.
The session started at 5 pm and lasted till 7 am. Using eight-track recording equipment – which gave them more options than the four-track equipment they usually worked with at Abbey Road – the band was able to re-record their parts as they developed the song and perfect what was registered as Take 1:
The eight-track facility meant that it could be recorded track by track, each one perfected over a number of times while simultaneously wiping previous attempts. This method of working makes the ‘take one’ statistic look distinctly silly for, although it was just one ‘take,’ it was innumerable recordings.
From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn
What is thought to have been recorded on this day is a basic track of John’s finger-picked electric guitar, George Harrison’s distorted lead guitar part, and Paul McCartney on drums.
They continued working on “Dear Prudence” at Trident, the day after, on August 29, 1968.
Recording • Take 1
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 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)
The fourth book of this critically acclaimed series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)" captures The Beatles as they take the lessons of Sgt. Pepper forward with an ambitious double-album that is equally innovative and progressive. 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.
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