"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
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Session Sep 18, 1968 • Recording and mixing "Birthday"
Article Sep 19, 1968 • "Revolution" promo film is broadcast on Top Of The Pops
Session Sep 19, 1968 • Recording "Piggies"
Session Sep 20, 1968 • Recording "Piggies"
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "The Beatles (Mono)" LP
On this day, The Beatles began the session for George Harrison’s song “Piggies,” which lasted from 7:15 pm to 5:30 am. With George Martin away on holiday for most of September 1968, Chris Thomas produced this session.
The Beatles completed 10 takes of the basic track, featuring George Harrison on acoustic guitar with a guide vocal, Paul McCartney on bass, and Ringo Starr on tambourine. “I’ll just be singing to guide you,” George told the others, planning to record his vocals later as an overdub.
Chris Thomas then had the idea to use a harpsichord on the basic track:
All four Beatles were there for the session and we were working in [studio] number two. I wandered into number one and found a harpsichord, not knowing that it had been set up overnight for a classical recording. So we discussed wheeling the thing into number two but Ken Scott said ‘No, we can’t, it’s there for another session!’. So we moved our session into number one instead.
George Harrison agreed that my harpsichord idea was a good one and suggested that I play it. This I did, but while George and I were tinkling away on this harpsichord he started playing another new song to me, which later turned out to be ‘Something’. I said ‘That’s great! Why don’t we do that one instead?’ and he replied ‘Do you like it, do you really think it’s good?’. When I said yes he said ‘Oh, maybe I’ll give it to Jackie Lomax then, he can do it as a single!’
Chris Thomas – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988
For some reason I was looking for something different for the song. I was wondering around and found a harpsichord in Number 1. George [Harrison] came in and played this song “Piggies,” and said, “We can do this one now.” Then he started to play “Something” and I said, “Let’s do that one. It’s a much better song.” He said, “Do you really think so? We were about to give it to Jackie Lomax as a single.” He was quite adamant about not doing “Something” so we did “Piggies” instead. He got me to start learning and playing it. Then I got hold of John Smith and we started to push the harpsichord into Number 2, at which point Ken came in and went absolutely berserk because the studio was already set up for a session and nothing could be moved because they were trying to seamlessly edit performances together. I was pushing the harpsichord in one direction and Ken was pushing it in another while going absolutely bananas at me. We ended up recording it all in Number 1.
Chris Thomas – From “Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust“, 2012
‘Something’ was written on the piano while we were making The White Album. I had a break while Paul was doing some overdubbing so I went into an empty studio and began to write. That’s really all there is to it, except the middle took some time to sort out.
George Harrison – from “Solid State: The Story of “Abbey Road” and the End of the Beatles” by Kenneth Womack, 2019
As detailed in “The Beatles” Super Deluxe edition book (2018), the harpsichord in Studio One had been brought in for a classical session scheduled for the next day, September 20. In that session, British cellist Jacqueline Du Pré would be recording with the London Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by Australian harpsichord virtuoso Valda Aveling.
In Studio One, The Beatles recorded take 11, the final take of the day, featuring Chris Thomas on the harpsichord. Additional overdubs were added onto take 11 the following day.
At the end of Take 11, The Beatles were recorded laughing. This laughter was later featured on the Beatles’ Love album released in 2006, where it was mixed with “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!“.
Additionally, aside George Harrison coming up with “Something” during that session, Paul McCartney played early versions of “Let It Be“, like he did on September 5.
There were a couple of other songs around at this time. Paul was running through “Let It Be” between takes
Chris Thomas – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988
Around that time, possibly even in that session, Paul McCartney recorded a demo of “The Long And Winding Road.” Technical engineer Alan Brown recalls assisting with the recording, as noted in Mark Lewisohn’s “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions.” The account is also referenced in George Gunby’s “Hello Goodbye: The Story Of Mr. Fixit:“
The finest example of Paul’s songwriting turned out just as Alistair [Taylor] had hoped. It was the end of a particularly difficult week at [EMI Studios] and Apple during which he had been working twenty-hour days. He was feeling the effects of being, virtually, Paul’s personal assistant and keeping an eye on things at the office. He was very, very tired and looking forward to spending Saturday and Sunday at home with [his wife] Lesley. As the Friday night session wound down he went in search of Paul to say goodnight. John, George and Ringo had no idea where McCartney was and when he could not be found in the canteen or any of the offices Alistair pretty much gave up.
As he passed the cavernous Studio One he noticed a faint light. Stepping quietly inside, he stood in the shadows and listened as the figure hunched over the grand piano picked out a melody and began adding lyrics. The voice was unmistakably McCartney’s. Alistair listened intently as the tune developed. More lyrics were added. “This is sensational”, Alistair thought. Spellbound, he walked over to the piano when Paul stopped playing. “That is a beautiful, beautiful melody and fabulous words”, he said. “Lesley would love that”. Paul smiled. “It’s just an idea at this stage”, he said. “For ‘just an idea’ it’s sensational”.
Paul looked up to the control room. “Have you got any tape left?” he asked the engineer who nodded. “Roll it, please”, McCartney said. Alistair stood by the piano as Paul ran through the song again. Although not the finished article, the fundamental outline and character were clear and distinct. It was, Alistair felt, destined to be a classic. When the song ended he applauded quietly. Paul looked up from the keyboard. “Glad you like it”, he said. “Now go home. You look shattered”.
Monday morning came round far too quickly for Alistair. He was in the office early and had cleared most things by the time Paul appeared in mid afternoon. He sat down and asked how Lesley was. “Fine”,’Alistair replied. “Did you tell her about the song?” “No. I couldn’t do it justice”. “Well you can now”, McCartney said with a broad grin. From inside his coat he pulled out an acetate record and placed it on the desk in front of Alistair. “That’s the recording from Friday…It’s for Lesley”. “You shouldn’t have. Thank you very much”. “Give me your waste bin and a pair of scissors”, Paul said. As Alistair handed them to him, McCartney pulled a spool of recording tape from his pocket. “That’s the tape from Friday”, he said as he picked up the scissors and proceeded to cut it into small pieces that fell into the waste bin.
“Now you have the only copy of that recording in the world”, he said with a broad smile. “Thank you very much”, Alistair said. “It’s my way of saying thank you”, Paul said as he stood to leave the office. “Just one thing, what’s it called?” “The Long And Winding Road”, McCartney replied.
From “Hello Goodbye: The Story Of Mr. Fixit” by George Gunby, 2001
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 1
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 2
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 3
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 4
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 5
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 6
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 7
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 8
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 9
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 10
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 11
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Brief demo
Recording • Several demos between takes
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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