Recording "Every Night", mixing "Maybe I'm Amazed", "That Would Be Something", "Valentine Day"

In late December 1969 and on January 17, 1970, Paul McCartney began recording new material using a Studer J37 4-track tape recorder that had recently been installed at his home in London. Believing these experiments could evolve into his first solo album, he moved to EMI Studios, Abbey Road, to continue the work. He spent time there on January 24, February 7 and 8 and again on February 15.

From February 16 to February 20, Paul relocated to Morgan Studios, where he continued recording the album. On February 21, he returned to EMI Studios to mix some of the tracks recorded so far.

On this day, February 22, the session started at 12 pm, with Paul and engineer Phil McDonald mixing “That Would Be Something” and “Valentine Day,” both recorded at home in December 1969, as well as “Maybe I’m Amazed,” recorded at EMI Studios on February 15.

Phil McDonald is credited as the mixing engineer for “Maybe I’m Amazed,” although engineer Chris Thomas later claimed he also attempted some mixes of the track. He remarked that the song “sounded lots ballsier before Paul mixed it.”

The rest of the session, which ended at 10 pm, was dedicated to recording “Every Night,” a song Paul had completed during a family holiday in Corfu in May/June 1969.

To record “Every Night,” Paul first performed lead vocals while playing an acoustic guitar. He then added overdubs: drums, bass, and two lead acoustic guitar parts, and partially double-tracked his vocals.

At the end of the session, engineers Phil McDonald and John Kurlander created a stereo mix of the track. However, the version released on “McCartney” was mixed two days after.

‘Every Night’ (Blues). This came from the first two lines, which I’ve had for years. They were added to in 1969 in Greece (Benitses) on holiday. This was recorded at EMI with:

1. vocal and
2. acoustic guitar
3. drums
4. bass
5. lead guitar (acoustic)
6. harmony to the lead guitar
7. double-tracked vocal in parts
8. electric guitar (not used)
8-track.

Paul McCartney, from the press release of “McCartney”, April 1970

Going back to earlier songs, ‘Every Night’ could stand up to being remade. Other people have made good recordings of it, and I remember that when I played the “McCartney” album to Ringo he said that he preferred my original solo version, when I had first sung it to him.

Paul McCartney – From interview with Club Sandwich, Winter 1994

Session activities

1. That Would Be Something

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing

   AlbumOfficially released on McCartney

2. Valentine Day

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing

   AlbumOfficially released on McCartney

3. Maybe I'm Amazed

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing

   AlbumOfficially released on McCartney

4. Every Night

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording

5. Every Night

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Mixing • Unused mix

Staff

Musicians on "Every Night"

Production staff

Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989

With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.

Buy on Amazon

The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969 – 73

In this first of a groundbreaking multivolume set, THE MCCARTNEY LEGACY, VOL 1: 1969-73 captures the life of Paul McCartney in the years immediately following the dissolution of the Beatles, a period in which McCartney recreated himself as both a man and a musician. Informed by hundreds of interviews, extensive ground up research, and thousands of never-before-seen documents THE MCCARTNEY LEGACY, VOL 1 is an in depth, revealing exploration of McCartney’s creative and personal lives beyond the Beatles.

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Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium

Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium is the ultimate look at the careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr beyond the Beatles. Every aspect of their professional careers as solo artists is explored, from recording sessions, record releases and tours, to television, film and music videos, including everything in between. From their early film soundtrack work to the officially released retrospectives, all solo efforts by the four men are exhaustively examined.

Buy on Amazon