Tuesday, December 20, 1966
Recording "When I'm Sixty Four"
For The Beatles
Last updated on November 5, 2023
Tuesday, December 20, 1966
For The Beatles
Last updated on November 5, 2023
Recording "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
Nov 24, 1966 - Apr 20, 1967 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (UK Mono)
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Previous session Dec 15, 1966 • Recording "Love In The Open Air / Theme From The Family Way"
Article Dec 18, 1966 • Paul McCartney and Jane Asher attend the premiere of "The Family Way"
Article Dec 18, 1966 • Tara Browne dies
Session Dec 20, 1966 • Recording "When I'm Sixty Four"
Session Dec 21, 1966 • Recording "When I'm Sixty Four", "Strawberry Fields Forever"
Some of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (UK Mono)" LP.
On December 6, 1966, The Beatles recorded the rhythm track for Paul McCartney’s song “When I’m Sixty-Four“. On December 8, Paul completed the lead vocals. In subsequent recording sessions, The Beatles returned to working on John Lennon’s track “Strawberry Field Forever“, but eventually return to “When I’m Sixty-Four” during this 7 pm – 1 am session.
Three tracks of the four-track tape had been filled by the end of the previous session. On this day, onto the fourth, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison added backing vocals while Ringo Starr played chimes.
One of the last, and unusual, additions to ‘When I’m SixtyFour’ was the sound of chimes. Abbey Road studios always had a collection of percussion instruments lying around, and Ringo could not stop himself having a go at them.
George Martin – From “With A Little Help From My Friends: The Making of Sgt. Pepper“, 1995
As all the tracks of the four-track tape were now full, two tape reductions were made to free up some tracks. The second one, named Take 4, was considered the best. The bass, drums, piano and guitars were combined into one track, leaving space for the clarinet overdub recorded on the following day.
As they arrived at Abbey Road Studios for a recording session, each Beatle was briefly interviewed by ITN for a documentary which was broadcast on December 29, 1966.
Recording • SI onto take 2
Tape copying • Tape reduction take 2 into take 3
Tape copying • Tape reduction take 2 into take 4
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 2 - Help! through Revolver (1965-1966)
The second book of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC)-nominated series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 2: Help! through Revolver (1965-1966)" follows the evolution of the band from the end of Beatlemania with "Help!" through the introspection of "Rubber Soul" up to the sonic revolution of "Revolver". 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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