Friday, May 6, 1966
Recording and mixing "I'm Only Sleeping"
For The Beatles
Last updated on October 17, 2022
Friday, May 6, 1966
For The Beatles
Last updated on October 17, 2022
April 6 - June 22, 1966 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Revolver (UK Mono)
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Interview May 02, 1966 • Paul McCartney interview for BBC Transcription Services
Session May 05, 1966 • Recording "I'm Only Sleeping"
Session May 06, 1966 • Recording and mixing "I'm Only Sleeping"
Session May 09, 1966 • Recording "For No One"
Session May 12, 1966 • Mixing "Doctor Robert", "I'm Only Sleeping", "And Your Bird Can Sing"
Some of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Revolver (UK Mono)" LP.
This was the eighteenth day of the recording sessions for the “Revolver” album. From 2:30 pm to 1 am, The Beatles completed the recording of John Lennon’s “I’m Only Sleeping“.
On April 27, 1966, they recorded the basic track, with take 11 considered the best. On April 29, they considered doing a remake of the song but finally added the lead vocals onto take 11, and on May 5, they added lead guitar parts.
This day started with tape reductions (labelled take 12 and take 13) to free up a track for additional overdubs. Take 13 was deemed the best and John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison added their backing vocals.
The Beatle yawning on “I’m Only Sleeping” was Paul and this contribution was recorded on this day (on the stereo mix of the song, we can hear John saying “Yawn, Paul!” at the 1:57 mark).
Once the recordings were done, the engineering team created four mono mixes, from 1 am to 2:15 am. Those mixes were never used.
“I’m Only Sleeping” would be mixed in mono for its US release on May 12, 1966. The UK stereo version would be mixed on May 20 and the UK mono version on June 6.
Recording • SI onto take 11
Recording • Tape reduction take 11 into takes 12 and 13
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 1 from take 13
AlbumOfficially released on Revolver (Super Deluxe - 2022)
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 2 from take 13
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 3 from take 13
Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 4 from take 13
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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