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Sunday, April 17, 1966

Recording "Doctor Robert"

For The Beatles

Last updated on October 14, 2022


Master session

Location

  • Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Timeline

Master release

AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Revolver (UK Mono)" LP

Some of the songs from this session also appear on:

This was the eighth day of the recording sessions for the “Revolver” album. From 2:30 pm to 10:30 pm, The Beatles started recording a new song by John Lennon, titled “Doctor Robert“. It was a relatively straightforward track to record, compared to the more experimental songs recorded so far, such as “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “Rain“.

After a series of unnumbered rehearsal takes, they recorded seven takes of the backing track, with John Lennon on rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney on bass, George Harrison on maracas and Ringo Starr on drums. Take 7 was deemed the best, and they started adding overdubs onto it. John added some harmonium parts, George added his lead guitar, and Paul some piano (this piano part was not included in the song’s final mix). At this stage, the song lasted 2 minutes 56 seconds but would be edited to 2:13 during the mixing process.

The Beatles would complete the recording of “Doctor Robert” by adding all the vocals, on April 19, 1966.


Session activities

  1. Doctor Robert

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 1

  2. Doctor Robert

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 2

  3. Doctor Robert

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 3

  4. Doctor Robert

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 4

  5. Doctor Robert

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 5

  6. Doctor Robert

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 6

  7. Doctor Robert

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 7

    AlbumOfficially released on Revolver (Super Deluxe - 2022)


Staff

Musicians on "Doctor Robert"

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!

Shop on Amazon

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.

Shop on Amazon

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.

Read more on The Beatles Bible

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