Part of
"The Beatles" (aka the White Album) sessions
May 30 - Oct 18, 1968 • Songs recorded during this session appear on The Beatles (Mono)
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- Album Songs recorded during this session officially appear on the The Beatles (Mono) LP.
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Some songs from this session appear on:
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About
From 7:30 pm to 4 am on this day, The Beatles started recording John Lennon’s song “Sexy Sadie“. 21 takes were formally recorded, but overall this was more a rehearsal session, as the band searched for a successful arrangement. In the end, nothing was used from this session.
Take 3 was released on the 2018 re-release of the White album, and Take 6 on Anthology 3:
Recorded a month earlier and at a slower tempo than the master (which was numbered 117, although nowhere near as many takes had been recorded), this is Take 6 of Sexy Sadie, featuring the basic line-up of electric guitar, drums, organ, and a vocal from the composer John Lennon. The recording is faded out at the end because, at this point, the coda had not been finalised.
About Take 6 – From Anthology 3 liner notes
During this session, The Beatles also jammed, for instance recording a six-minutes long instrumental version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime“. John Lennon improvised a tune with pretty rude lyrics about the Beatles’ former manager, Brian Epstein:
What about Brian Epstein and his brother Sam?
They was workin’ in a coal mine, doing what I am.
And what about brother Andy, he’s shuttin’ down the fire.
But if you tell the time about his brother Sam,
Wah dap, a wah dap bop
Wah dup, a ba ba bow…About his brother Clive, he’s a dirty old man,
Well what about Brian Epstein, he’s god damned in jail.
He’s working in the coal mine sittin’ dead as a fail (?).
His mother’s dirty Queenie, well she’s the queen of them all.
“Sexy Sadie” was initially titled “Maharishi“. When in India to take part in a Transcendental Meditation training course, John Lennon had become disillusioned with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who allegedly made a sexual advance on Mia Farrow. At some point during the session, John sang to Paul McCartney some crude alternative lyrics to “Sexy Sadie“:
Sexy Sadie, you little twat
Who the fuck do you think you are?
Who the fuck do you think you are?
Oh, you cunt.
The Beatles would continue working on “Sexy Sadie” on July 24.
Recording the Beatles was a wonderful experience, but while there were times when their creative juices were flowing and it was incredibly exciting, there were others when it was as boring as hell. For instance, I remember it took three days just to get the basic track of ‘Sexy Sadie’. Primarily, they were down in the studio, figuring out the different parts, and all we had to do was make sure the tape was constantly running. What got me through those times was the firm belief that, in the end, it would turn into something amazing, and generally that was the case. But then, I didn’t have to work on ‘Revolution 9’.
Ken Scott – From The Beatles ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ (soundonsound.com)
Last updated on September 11, 2021
Songs recorded
1.
2.
3.
Recording • Take 3
Album Officially released on The Beatles (50th anniversary boxset)
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23.
Brian Epstein Blues
Recording • A John Lennon improvisation about Brian Epstein and his brother Sam, bootlegged as "Brian Epstein Blues"
Staff
Musicians on "Sexy Sadie"
- Paul McCartney:
- Organ, Piano
- Ringo Starr:
- Drums
- John Lennon:
- Acoustic guitar, Lead vocal
- George Harrison:
- Electric guitar
Production staff
Going further
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 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 like to think, in all modesty, that the Paul McCartney Project is the best online ressource for everything Paul McCartney, The Beatles Bible is for sure the definitive online site focused on the Beatles. There are obviously some overlap in terms of content between the two sites, but also some major differences in terms of approach.
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