Recording and mixing "Taxman", recording "For No One", mixing "Love You To"

Monday, May 16, 1966 • For The Beatles

Album Songs recorded during this session officially appear on the Revolver (UK Mono) LP.
Studio:
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Songs recorded


1.

Taxman

Written by George Harrison

Recording • SI onto take 12


2.

Love You To

Written by George Harrison

Tape copying • Copies of remix mono 3, numbered mono remixes 4 and 5


3.

Taxman

Written by George Harrison

Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 2 from take 12


4.

Taxman

Written by George Harrison

Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 3 from take 12


5.

Taxman

Written by George Harrison

Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 4 from take 12


6.

Taxman

Written by George Harrison

Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 5 from take 12


7.

For No One

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Recording • SI onto take 10


8.

For No One

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Tape copying • Tape reduction take 10 into takes 13 and 14 (no takes numbered 11 or 12)


9.

Taxman

Written by George Harrison

Tape copying • Tape copying of remix mono 4


10.

Love You To

Written by George Harrison

Tape copying • Tape copying of remix mono 5


11.

Tomorrow Never Knows

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Tape copying • Tape copying of remix mono 8

Staff

Musicians on "For No One"

Paul McCartney:
Bass, Lead vocals
Ringo Starr:
Tambourine

Musicians on "Taxman"

Production staff

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

About

This was the twentieth day of the recording sessions for the “Revolver” album. During the eleven-hour long session (from 2:30 pm to 1:30 am), overdubs were added onto George Harrison’s “Taxman” and Paul McCartney’s “For No One“. There were also some mixing and tape-copying activities to build a master reel and see how the album was starting to take shape.


Taxman” had been recorded on April 21 and April 22, 1966. On this day, The Beatles added the final touch, by recording Paul McCartney’s spoken intro “one, two, three, four, one two“.

In the background [of this spoken intro] you hear a cough and stray guitar notes amongst other strange noises. McCartney describes these as sounds that were on the tape, Lennon adding that he “thought (the listeners) would like to hear it.” This unusual introduction ends as we hear Paul’s original count-down to the song from the rhythm track in the background.

From beatlesebooks.com

Four mono mixes were then created, all from take 12, but none were ever used.


The basic track of “For No One” and the first overdubs had been recorded on May 9, 1966. On this day, Paul McCartney overdubbed his lead vocals onto take 10. The tape was slowed to 47.5 cycles rather than the usual 50, which made the vocals higher and faster upon playback.

Some tape reductions were then made, to free up two tracks on the four-track tape. Those were numbered take 13 and take 14 (there were strangely no takes 11 and 12).

[The tape reduction remix] also utilized frequency control, recorded at a slower than normal tape speed, slowing the tempo and lowering the pitch of the entire track by nearly a semitone. Between the applications of varispeed on the lead vocal and tape reduction remix, McCartney’s lead vocal ended up back at its original performance tempo and pitch.

From The Beatles Recording Reference Manual – Volume 2 – Help! through Revolver (1965-1966) by Jerry Hammack, 2021

Onto take 14, Paul added his bass part and Ringo Starr played the tambourine. Take 14 would also receive a French horn overdub on May 19, 1966.


George Harrison’s “Love You To” had been mono-mixed on April 13, 1966. On this date, an edit piece of a solo passage of sitar recorded by George on April 13 was added to the mix as an introduction to the song.

Last updated on November 12, 2023

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