Recording "Penny Lane" #6

Monday, January 9, 1967 • For The Beatles

Album Songs recorded during this session officially appear on the Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane 7" Single.
Studio:
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Songs recorded


1.

Penny Lane

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Recording • SI onto take 9


2.

Penny Lane

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 5 from take 9


3.

Penny Lane

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 6 from take 9

Staff

Musicians on "Penny Lane"

Ray Swinfield:
Flute
P Goody:
Flute
Manny Winters:
Flute
Dennis Walton:
Flute
Leon Calvert:
Trumpet
Freddy Clayton:
Trumpet
?:
Flugelhorn, Two piccolos

Production staff

George Martin:
Producer
Geoff Emerick:
Engineer
Phil McDonald:
Second Engineer

About

The Beatles had so far spent five sessions recording Paul McCartney’s “Penny Lane”, on December 29 and December 30, 1966, and on January 4, January 5 and January 6, 1967.

The goal of the session on this day, which took place from 7 pm to 1:45 am, was to record wind and horn arrangements composed by George Martin.

In contrast to John, who had only the vaguest of ideas about how he wanted “Strawberry Fields Forever” to be recorded, Paul had very definite thoughts about the instrumentation he wanted on “Penny Lane.” George Martin was tasked with creating an arrangement for flutes, trumpets, piccolo, and fluegelhorn, to which were added oboes, cor anglais (English horn), and bowed double bass. Combined with Paul’s stellar bass playing and superb vocals (with backing from John and George), the track was beginning to sound full, polished, and quite finished to me.

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

Four flautists (Ray Swinfield, P Goody, Manny Winters and Dennis Walton) and two trumpeters (Leon Calvert and Freddy Clayton) were present. Three of those musicians also added overdubs for two piccolos parts and a flugelhorn, but it is not known who play played which instruments. These recordings were added onto track three of Take 9.

At the end of the session, two rough mono mixes were created, numbered 5 and 6.

Work on “Penny Lane” would continue the next day, January 10, 1967.

Last updated on February 6, 2023

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