Monday, September 23, 1968
Recording "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
For The Beatles
Last updated on August 26, 2021
Monday, September 23, 1968
For The Beatles
Last updated on August 26, 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: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Sep 19, 1968 • Recording "Piggies"
Session Sep 20, 1968 • Recording "Piggies"
Session Sep 23, 1968 • Recording "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
Session Sep 24, 1968 • Recording "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
Session Sep 25, 1968 • Recording and mixing "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
Some 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 “Happiness Is A Warm Gun“. They recorded 45 takes of it, during this 7 pm to 3 am session. Paul McCartney was on bass, Ringo Starr on drums, George Harrison on lead guitar and John Lennon played guitar and sang a guide vocal.
The recording tape captured a lot of discussions between The Beatles and the engineering team about how to play the difficult time signature changes or comparing the difficulty of some sections of the song with others.
It’s very similar to Bungalow Bill in that it’s a piss-take of all the people who really do think happiness is a warm gun. There’s a great vocal on it, good lyrics, and it’s a very interesting song because it changes tempo a lot, it’s quite a complex piece. It’s very Lennon.
Paul McCartney – from “Many Years From Now”, by Barry Miles, 1997
As George Martin was on holidays for most of September 1968, Chris Thomas produced this session. He remembered:
‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ went to a great many takes. We used to make jokes out of it. ‘Take 83!‘
Steve Thomas – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn
Work on “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” continued the day after.
Recording • Take 1
Recording • Take 2
Recording • Take 3
Recording • Take 4
Recording • Take 5
Recording • Take 6
Recording • Take 7
Recording • Take 8
Recording • Take 9
Recording • Take 10
Recording • Take 11
Recording • Take 12
Recording • Take 13
Recording • Take 14
Recording • Take 15
Recording • Take 16
Recording • Take 17
Recording • Take 18
Recording • Take 19
AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)
Recording • Take 20
Recording • Take 21
Recording • Take 22
Recording • Take 23
Recording • Take 24
Recording • Take 25
Recording • Take 26
Recording • Take 27
Recording • Take 28
Recording • Take 29
Recording • Take 30
Recording • Take 31
Recording • Take 32
Recording • Take 33
Recording • Take 34
Recording • Take 35
Recording • Take 36
Recording • Take 37
Recording • Take 38
Recording • Take 39
Recording • Take 40
Recording • Take 41
Recording • Take 42
Recording • Take 43
Recording • Take 44
Recording • Take 45
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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