Timeline Albums, EPs & singles Songs Films Concerts Sessions People Interviews Articles

May 30 - Oct 18, 1968

"The Beatles" (aka the White Album) sessions

For The Beatles

Last updated on December 8, 2024


Location

  • Recording studio: EMI Studios, Abbey Road

  • Recording studio: Trident Studios, London, UK

Timeline

Master release

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

After a 3 months break from the recording studios, a trip to India where most of the new material was written, and a day spent recording demos at the end of May, The Beatles were back at EMI Studios to start the recording of their new album, which would officially be named “The Beatles” and unofficially called the White Album.

The studio had been booked from May 20 to July 26, Mondays to Fridays, from 2.30pm to 12.00pm each day. But the opening session was on May 30.


From Wikipedia:

The Beatles was recorded between 30 May and 14 October 1968, largely at Abbey Road Studios in London, with some sessions at Trident Studios. The group block-booked time at Abbey Road through to July, and their times at Rishikesh were soon forgotten in the atmosphere of the studio, with sessions occurring at irregular hours. The group’s self-belief that they could do anything led to the formation of a new multimedia business corporation Apple Corps, an enterprise that drained the group financially with a series of unsuccessful projects. The open-ended studio time led to a new way of working out songs. Instead of tightly rehearsing a backing track, as had happened in previous sessions, the group would simply record all the rehearsals and jamming, then add overdubs to the best take. Harrison’s song “Not Guilty” was left off the album despite recording 102 takes.

The sessions for The Beatles marked the first appearance in the studio of Lennon’s new domestic and artistic partner, Yoko Ono, who accompanied him to Abbey Road to work on “Revolution 1” and who would thereafter be a more or less constant presence at all Beatles sessions. Ono’s presence was highly unorthodox, as prior to that point, the Beatles had generally worked in isolation. McCartney’s girlfriend at the time, Francie Schwartz, was also present at some sessions, as were the other two Beatles’ wives, Pattie Harrison and Maureen Starkey.

During the sessions, the band upgraded from 4-track recording to 8-track. As work began, Abbey Road Studios possessed, but had yet to install, an 8-track machine that had supposedly been sitting in a storage room for months. This was in accordance with EMI’s policy of testing and customising new gear extensively before putting it into use in the studios. The Beatles recorded “Hey Jude” and “Dear Prudence” at Trident because it had an 8-track recorder. When they learned that EMI also had one, they insisted on using it, and engineers Ken Scott and Dave Harries took the machine (without authorisation from the studio chiefs) into Abbey Road Studio 2 for the band’s use.

The author Mark Lewisohn reports that the Beatles held their first and only 24-hour session at Abbey Road near the end of the creation of The Beatles, which occurred during the final mixing and sequencing for the album. The session was attended by Lennon, McCartney and producer George Martin. Unlike most LPs, there was no customary three-second gap between tracks, and the master was edited so that songs segued together, via a straight edit, a crossfade, or an incidental piece of music.

Personal issues

The studio efforts on The Beatles captured the work of four increasingly individuated artists who frequently found themselves at odds. Lewisohn notes that several backing tracks do not feature the full group, and overdubs tended to be limited to whoever wrote the song. Sometimes McCartney and Lennon would record simultaneously in different studios, each using different engineers. Late in the sessions, Martin, whose influence over the band had waned, spontaneously left to go on holiday, leaving Chris Thomas in charge of production. Lennon’s devotion to Ono over the other Beatles, and the pair’s addiction to heroin, made working conditions difficult as he became prone to bouts of temper.

Recording engineer Geoff Emerick, who had worked with the group since Revolver in 1966, had become disillusioned with the sessions. At one point, while recording “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da“, Emerick overheard Martin criticising McCartney’s lead vocal performance, to which McCartney replied, “Well you come down and sing it“. On 16 July, Emerick announced that he was no longer willing to work with them and left.

Within the band, according to the author Peter Doggett, “the most essential line of communication … between Lennon and McCartney” had been broken by Ono’s presence on the first day of recording. While echoing this view, Beatles biographer Philip Norman comments that, from the start, each of the group’s two principal songwriters shared a mutual disregard for the other’s new compositions: Lennon found McCartney’s songs “cloyingly sweet and bland“, while McCartney viewed Lennon’s as “harsh, unmelodious and deliberately provocative“. In a move that Lewisohn highlights as unprecedented in the Beatles’ recording career, Harrison and Starr chose to distance themselves part-way through the project, flying to California on 7 June so that Harrison could film his scenes for the Ravi Shankar documentary Raga. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison’s involvement in individual musical projects outside the band during 1968 was further evidence of the group’s fragmentation. In Lennon’s case, the cover of his experimental collaboration with Ono, Two Virgins, featured the couple fully naked – a gesture that his bandmates found bewildering and unnecessary.

On 20 August, Lennon and Starr, working on overdubs for “Yer Blues” in Studio 3, visited McCartney in Studio 2, where he was working on “Mother Nature’s Son“. The positive spirit of the session disappeared immediately, and the engineer Ken Scott later claimed: “you could cut the atmosphere with a knife“. On 22 August, during the session for “Back in the U.S.S.R.“, Starr abruptly left the studio, feeling that his role in the group was peripheral compared to the other members, and was upset at McCartney’s constant criticism of his drumming on the track. Abbey Road staff later commented that Starr frequently turned up to the sessions and sat waiting in the reception area for the others to turn up. In his absence, McCartney played the drums on “Dear Prudence“. Lewisohn also reports that, in the case of “Back in the U.S.S.R.“, the three remaining Beatles each made contributions on bass and drums, with the result that those parts may be composite tracks played by Lennon, McCartney or Harrison.

Lennon, McCartney and Harrison pleaded with Starr to reconsider. He duly returned on 5 September to find his drum kit decorated with flowers, a welcome-back gesture from Harrison. McCartney described the sessions for The Beatles as a turning point for the group, saying “there was a lot of friction during that album. We were just about to break up, and that was tense in itself“, while Lennon later said “the break-up of the Beatles can be heard on that album“. Of the album’s 30 tracks, only 16 have all four band members performing.



That was the tension album. We were all in the midst of that psychedelic thing, or just coming out of it. In any case, it was weird. Never before had we recorded with beds in the studio and people visiting for hours on end: business meetings and all that. There was a lot of friction during that album. We were just about to break up, and that was tense in itself.

Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years” by Barry Miles

When you’re in the studio five or six days a week and spend hours and hours with the same people, at times you’re going to rub each other the wrong way. It’s just natural.

That said, over the years there has been so much written about the animosity that supposedly pervaded the studio during the recording of The White Album, and it’s all been blown way out of proportion. For sure, there were definitely times when things blew up, but it was nowhere near as bad as it’s been reported over and over. There was a lot of pressure to finish the album, which put everyone on edge, but it just wasn’t that bad.

Of course there was some strife, but there always is during any project, and what The Beatles experienced during the making of The White Album just wasn’t that different from what I’ve experienced on most projects at some time or another.

Ken Scott – From “Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust“, 2012

I don’t ever remember any strife having Yoko there, or Linda for that matter. It certainly was never a big thing for me. This whole thing about the women breaking up the band certainly wasn’t true from what I could see.

John Smith – Second engineer – From “Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust“, 2012

[George Martin] was having less and less to do with everything in the studio by that point, since each individual Beatle was so much in control, and he became less and less important to them as time went on. I think they actually reached the point where they didn’t even need him for orchestral arrangements, since they would play what they wanted the string lines to sound like on a piano and George just scored what they played. He wasn’t so much creating the arrangement as just transcribing it.

Ken Scott – From “Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust“, 2012

An awful lot has been written about the Beatles being at odds with each other the entire time they were recording the White Album, but that to me is completely false […] For my book, I did an interview with Chris Thomas, who at that time was George Martin’s assistant. When Chris came back from a holiday [at the end of the first week of September ’68], there was a note from George [Martin] saying he had also gone on vacation and that Chris should go along to the studio and help out. Suddenly, having never produced anything in his entire life, Chris was the Beatles’ producer. Still, when I ended our interview with the standard ‘Is there anything else you would like to say?’ Chris’s immediate comment was, ‘Yeah, please let everyone know it was fun; it was nowhere near as bad as has been stated. We loved it.’ So, there are several of us who don’t see it the same way as other people. We had a blast. It was great.

Ken Scott – From The Beatles ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ (soundonsound.com)

There were certainly times of tension, but mostly it was fun. We all know Ringo quit for a period of time, but it wasn’t through animosity. He just felt unloved. We all knew he was great, one of the best rock and roll drummers ever, but we took it for granted. Paul being one of the best bass players ever; it was taken for granted. And that’s the kind of situation it was. Once Ringo left, suddenly they realized that they couldn’t quite take this all so much for granted. When he returned, that was really the sort of high spot when they became a band again. All four would be down in the studio working hard. We got more done during that period of time when George Martin was on holiday and Chris Thomas took over for him. During that period, we got more work done than we had the rest of the time leading up to that point. It was phenomenal. It was really a lot of work and it was great fun. And yes, there had always been a certain amount of each individual songs being their own. For whatever reason, it was a little more obvious on the White Album than had been before. Probably because it was a double album, you could see the differences that much more because there was so much more material, especially with John. Things like “Revolution No. 9”. You really saw how his musical tastes had changed.

Ken Scott – Interview for DAYTRIPPIN’ BEATLES MAGAZINE, July 2012

The White Album was also different from other Beatles albums in that it was specifically mixed for stereo, and The Beatles were actually there to approve the stereo mixes. They’d never been interested in stereo before as their working process had been to mix a song in mono as soon as it was finished, and then leave the stereo to be mixed a while later, almost as an afterthought. Stereo still hadn’t really caught on in England at the time so no one, not even the Fab Four, particularly cared about it.

As in the past, the stereo mixes for The White Album tended to be put off until the last minute, even though they were now deemed to be important. The reason for the importance was not what one might expect though. Paul explained to me whilst mixing the stereo version of “Helter Skelter” that it had to sound different from the mono version. Apparently fans started to buy both the mono and stereo albums and wrote to them asking if they knew there were differences between the versions, so Paul and/or the band saw this as a great way to boost sales.

Ken Scott – From “Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust“, 2012

I think it was a very good album. It stood up, but it wasn’t a pleasant one to make. Then again, sometimes those things work for your art. The fact that it’s got so much on it is one of the things that’s cool about it. The songs are very varied. I think it’s a fine album.

I don’t remember the reaction. Now I release records and I watch to see who likes it and how it does. But with The Beatles, I can’t ever remember scouring the charts to see what number it had come in at. I assume we hoped that people would like it. We just put it out and got on with life. A lot of our friends liked it and that was mainly what we were concerned with. If your mates liked it, the boutiques played it and it was played wherever you went – that was a sign of success for us.

Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles Anthology” book, 2000

Now John had to have Yoko there. I can’t blame him, they were intensely in love – in the first throes of the first passions – but it was fairly off-putting having her sitting on one of the amps. You wanted to say, ‘Excuse me, love – can I turn the volume up?’ We were always wondering how to say: ‘Could you get off my amp?’ without interfering with their relationship.

It was a very difficult time. I felt that when John finally left the group he did it to clear the decks for his relationship. Anything prior to that meant the decks weren’t clear – he had all his Beatle baggage; all his having to relate to us. He just wanted to go off into the corner and look into Yoko’s eyes for hours, saying to each other, ‘It’s going to be all right.’ It was pretty freaky when we were trying to make a track.

Looking at it now you can be amused by it, and it was quite a laugh, really. But at the time, this was us and it was our careers. We were The Beatles, after all, and here was this girl… It was like we were her courtiers, and it was very embarrassing. The White Album was a very tense one to make.

Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles Anthology” book, 2000

I wrote quite a few songs in Rishikesh and John came up with some creative stuff. George actually once got quite annoyed and told me off because I was trying to think of the next album. He said, ‘We’re not fucking here to do the next album, we’re here to meditate!’ It was like, ‘Ohh, excuse me for breathing!’ You know. George was quite strict about that, George can still be a little that way, and it’s like, ‘Oh come on, George, you don’t have a monopoly on thought in this area. I’m allowed to have my own views on the matter.’

I was doing a song, I Will, that I had as a melody for quite a long time but I didn’t have lyrics to it. I remember sitting around with Donovan, and maybe a couple of other people. We were just sitting around one evening after our day of meditation and I played him this one and he liked it and we were trying to write some words. We kicked around a few lyrics, something about the moon, but they weren’t very satisfactory and I thought the melody was better than the words so I didn’t use them. I kept searching for better words and I wrote my own set in the end.

Paul McCartney – From “Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now” by Barry Miles, 1997

From Facebook – October 1968 – Photo by Linda McCartney / Linda Enterprises Ltd. © Paul McCartney (https://www.lindamccartney.com/)

There was a nice quality about her. As a woman, she doesn’t offend you because she doesn’t come on like a coquettish bird, you know? She was all right and we were on very good terms, until Allen Klein came to visit. She said, ‘Why the hell do you have to bring Allen into it?’ She said very nasty things about Allen. I protected Allen each time she said something about him and since then she never speaks to me.

Yoko Ono – From “Apple To The Core” by Peter McCabe and Robert D. Shonfeld, 1972

Related sessions

Session activities

  1. Revolution 1

    May 30, 1968Recording "Revolution 1"

  2. Revolution 1

    May 31, 1968Recording "Revolution 1"

  3. Creation of tape loops

    Jun 04, 1968Recording "Revolution 1"

  4. Revolution 1

    Jun 04, 1968Recording "Revolution 1"

  5. Don't Pass Me By

    Jun 05, 1968Recording "Don't Pass Me By"

  6. Don't Pass Me By

    Jun 06, 1968Recording "Don't Pass Me By"

  7. Revolution 9

    Jun 06, 1968Recording "Don't Pass Me By"

  8. Revolution 9

    Jun 10, 1968Recording "Revolution 9"

  9. Blackbird

    Jun 11, 1968Recording "Blackbird", "Revolution 9"

  10. Revolution 9

    Jun 11, 1968Recording "Blackbird", "Revolution 9"

  11. Revolution 9

    Jun 20, 1968Recording "Revolution 9"

  12. Revolution 1

    Jun 21, 1968Recording "Revolution 1", "Revolution 9"

  13. Revolution 9

    Jun 21, 1968Recording "Revolution 1", "Revolution 9"

  14. Revolution 1

    Jun 25, 1968Mixing "Revolution 1", "Revolution 9"

  15. Revolution 9

    Jun 25, 1968Mixing "Revolution 1", "Revolution 9"

  16. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My

    Jun 26, 1968Recording "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey"

  17. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My

    Jun 27, 1968Recording "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey"

  18. Good Night

    Jun 28, 1968Recording "Good Night"

  19. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My

    Jul 01, 1968Recording "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey"

  20. Good Night

    Jul 02, 1968Recording "Good Night"

  21. Try-outs of spoken introduction

    Jul 02, 1968Recording "Good Night"

  22. Bye Bye Love

    Jul 03, 1968Recording "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  23. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Jul 03, 1968Recording "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Jul 04, 1968Recording "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  25. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Jul 05, 1968Recording "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  26. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Jul 08, 1968Recording "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  27. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Jul 09, 1968Recording "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  28. Revolution

    Jul 09, 1968Recording "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  29. Revolution

    Jul 10, 1968Recording "Revolution"

  30. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Jul 11, 1968Recording "Revolution", recording and mixing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  31. Revolution

    Jul 11, 1968Recording "Revolution", recording and mixing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  32. Don't Pass Me By

    Jul 12, 1968Recording and mixing "Don't Pass Me By", Recording and mixing "Revolution", Mixing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  33. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Jul 12, 1968Recording and mixing "Don't Pass Me By", Recording and mixing "Revolution", Mixing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  34. Revolution

    Jul 12, 1968Recording and mixing "Don't Pass Me By", Recording and mixing "Revolution", Mixing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

  35. Cry Baby Cry

    Jul 15, 1968Mixing "Revolution", recording and mixing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", recording "Cry Baby Cry"

  36. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Jul 15, 1968Mixing "Revolution", recording and mixing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", recording "Cry Baby Cry"

  37. Revolution

    Jul 15, 1968Mixing "Revolution", recording and mixing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", recording "Cry Baby Cry"

  38. Cry Baby Cry

    Jul 16, 1968Recording "Cry Baby Cry"

  39. Cry Baby Cry

    Jul 18, 1968Recording "Cry Baby Cry", "Helter Skelter"

  40. Helter Skelter

    Jul 18, 1968Recording "Cry Baby Cry", "Helter Skelter"

  41. Brian Epstein Blues

    Jul 19, 1968Recording "Sexy Sadie"

  42. Sexy Sadie

    Jul 19, 1968Recording "Sexy Sadie"

  43. Summertime

    Jul 19, 1968Recording "Sexy Sadie"

  44. A Beginning

    Jul 22, 1968Recording "Don't Pass Me By", "Good Night"

  45. Don't Pass Me By

    Jul 22, 1968Recording "Don't Pass Me By", "Good Night"

  46. Good Night

    Jul 22, 1968Recording "Don't Pass Me By", "Good Night"

  47. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My

    Jul 23, 1968Recording and mixing "Everybody's Got Something To Hide...", mixing "Good Night"

  48. Good Night

    Jul 23, 1968Recording and mixing "Everybody's Got Something To Hide...", mixing "Good Night"

  49. Sexy Sadie

    Jul 24, 1968Recording "Sexy Sadie"

  50. Untitled

    Jul 24, 1968Recording "Sexy Sadie"

  51. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

    Jul 25, 1968Recording "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

  52. Hey Jude

    Jul 29, 1968Recording "Hey Jude"

  53. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying

    Jul 30, 1968Recording and mixing "Hey Jude"

  54. Hey Jude

    Jul 30, 1968Recording and mixing "Hey Jude"

  55. St. Louis Blues

    Jul 30, 1968Recording and mixing "Hey Jude"

  56. Hey Jude

    Jul 31, 1968Recording "Hey Jude"

  57. Hey Jude

    Aug 01, 1968Recording "Hey Jude"

  58. Hey Jude

    Aug 02, 1968Mixing "Hey Jude"

  59. Hey Jude

    Aug 06, 1968Mixing "Hey Jude"

  60. Hey Jude

    Aug 07, 1968Recording "Not Guilty"

  61. Not Guilty

    Aug 07, 1968Recording "Not Guilty"

  62. Hey Jude

    Aug 08, 1968Mixing "Hey Jude", recording "Not Guilty"

  63. Not Guilty

    Aug 08, 1968Mixing "Hey Jude", recording "Not Guilty"

  64. Revolution

    Aug 08, 1968Mixing "Hey Jude", recording "Not Guilty"

  65. Mother Nature's Son

    Aug 09, 1968Recording "Not Guilty", "Mother Nature's Son"

  66. Not Guilty

    Aug 09, 1968Recording "Not Guilty", "Mother Nature's Son"

  67. Not Guilty

    Aug 12, 1968Recording and mixing "Not Guilty"

  68. Sexy Sadie

    Aug 13, 1968Recording "Sexy Sadie", "Yer Blues"

  69. Yer Blues

    Aug 13, 1968Recording "Sexy Sadie", "Yer Blues"

  70. What's The New Mary Jane

    Aug 14, 1968Recording and mixing "Yer Blues", recording and mixing "What's The New Mary Jane"

  71. Yer Blues

    Aug 14, 1968Recording and mixing "Yer Blues", recording and mixing "What's The New Mary Jane"

  72. Rocky Raccoon

    Aug 15, 1968Recording and mixing "Rocky Raccoon"

  73. Yer Blues

    Aug 15, 1968Recording and mixing "Rocky Raccoon"

  74. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

    Aug 16, 1968Recording "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

  75. Etcetera

    Aug 20, 1968Recording "Yer Blues", recording and mixing "Mother Nature's Son", "Wild Honey Pie"

  76. Mother Nature's Son

    Aug 20, 1968Recording "Yer Blues", recording and mixing "Mother Nature's Son", "Wild Honey Pie"

  77. Revolution 9

    Aug 20, 1968Recording "Yer Blues", recording and mixing "Mother Nature's Son", "Wild Honey Pie"

  78. Wild Honey Pie

    Aug 20, 1968Recording "Yer Blues", recording and mixing "Mother Nature's Son", "Wild Honey Pie"

  79. Yer Blues

    Aug 20, 1968Recording "Yer Blues", recording and mixing "Mother Nature's Son", "Wild Honey Pie"

  80. Sexy Sadie

    Aug 21, 1968Recording and mixing "Sexy Sadie"

  81. Baby You're A Rich Man

    Aug 22, 1968Recording "Back In The U.S.S.R."

  82. Back In The U.S.S.R.

    Aug 22, 1968Recording "Back In The U.S.S.R."

  83. Back In The U.S.S.R.

    Aug 23, 1968Recording and mixing "Back In The U.S.S.R."

  84. Mother Nature's Son

    Aug 23, 1968Recording and mixing "Back In The U.S.S.R."

  85. Rocky Raccoon

    Aug 23, 1968Recording and mixing "Back In The U.S.S.R."

  86. Sexy Sadie

    Aug 23, 1968Recording and mixing "Back In The U.S.S.R."

  87. Wild Honey Pie

    Aug 23, 1968Recording and mixing "Back In The U.S.S.R."

  88. Revolution 9

    Aug 26, 1968Tape copying "Revolution 9"

  89. Blackbird

    Aug 27, 1968Tape copying "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Blackbird", "Not Guilty", "Revolution 9"

  90. Not Guilty

    Aug 27, 1968Tape copying "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Blackbird", "Not Guilty", "Revolution 9"

  91. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Aug 27, 1968Tape copying "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Blackbird", "Not Guilty", "Revolution 9"

  92. Revolution 9

    Aug 27, 1968Tape copying "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Blackbird", "Not Guilty", "Revolution 9"

  93. Dear Prudence

    Aug 28, 1968Recording "Dear Prudence"

  94. Dear Prudence

    Aug 29, 1968Recording "Dear Prudence"

  95. Dear Prudence

    Aug 30, 1968Recording "Dear Prudence"

  96. Revolution

    Sep 03, 1968Recording "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

  97. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

    Sep 03, 1968Recording "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

  98. Let It Be

    Sep 05, 1968Recording "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

  99. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

    Sep 05, 1968Recording "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

  100. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

    Sep 06, 1968Recording "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

  101. (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care

    Sep 09, 1968Recording "Helter Skelter"

  102. Helter Skelter

    Sep 09, 1968Recording "Helter Skelter"

  103. Helter Skelter

    Sep 10, 1968Recording "Helter Skelter"

  104. Glass Onion

    Sep 11, 1968Recording "Glass Onion"

  105. Glass Onion

    Sep 12, 1968Recording "Glass Onion"

  106. Glass Onion

    Sep 13, 1968Recording "Glass Onion"

  107. Blue Moon

    Sep 16, 1968Recording "I Will", "Glass Onion"

  108. Can You Take Me Back

    Sep 16, 1968Recording "I Will", "Glass Onion"

  109. Down In Havana

    Sep 16, 1968Recording "I Will", "Glass Onion"

  110. Glass Onion

    Sep 16, 1968Recording "I Will", "Glass Onion"

  111. I Will

    Sep 16, 1968Recording "I Will", "Glass Onion"

  112. Los Paranoias

    Sep 16, 1968Recording "I Will", "Glass Onion"

  113. Step Inside Love

    Sep 16, 1968Recording "I Will", "Glass Onion"

  114. The Way You Look Tonight

    Sep 16, 1968Recording "I Will", "Glass Onion"

  115. Cry Baby Cry

    Sep 17, 1968Mixing "Helter Skelter", recording "I Will", "Cry Baby Cry"

  116. Helter Skelter

    Sep 17, 1968Mixing "Helter Skelter", recording "I Will", "Cry Baby Cry"

  117. I Will

    Sep 17, 1968Mixing "Helter Skelter", recording "I Will", "Cry Baby Cry"

  118. Birthday

    Sep 18, 1968Recording and mixing "Birthday"

  119. Let It Be

    Sep 19, 1968Recording "Piggies"

  120. Piggies

    Sep 19, 1968Recording "Piggies"

  121. Something

    Sep 19, 1968Recording "Piggies"

  122. Piggies

    Sep 20, 1968Recording "Piggies"

  123. Happiness Is A Warm Gun

    Sep 23, 1968Recording "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"

  124. Happiness Is A Warm Gun

    Sep 24, 1968Recording "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"

  125. Happiness Is A Warm Gun

    Sep 25, 1968Recording and mixing "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"

  126. Glass Onion

    Sep 26, 1968Mixing "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "What's The New Mary Jane", "Glass Onion", "I Will"

  127. Happiness Is A Warm Gun

    Sep 26, 1968Mixing "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "What's The New Mary Jane", "Glass Onion", "I Will"

  128. I Will

    Sep 26, 1968Mixing "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "What's The New Mary Jane", "Glass Onion", "I Will"

  129. What's The New Mary Jane

    Sep 26, 1968Mixing "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "What's The New Mary Jane", "Glass Onion", "I Will"

  130. Honey Pie

    Oct 01, 1968Recording and mixing "Honey Pie"

  131. Honey Pie

    Oct 02, 1968Recording "Honey Pie"

  132. Savoy Truffle

    Oct 03, 1968Recording "Savoy Truffle"

  133. Honey Pie

    Oct 04, 1968Recording "Martha My Dear", "Honey Pie"

  134. Martha My Dear

    Oct 04, 1968Recording "Martha My Dear", "Honey Pie"

  135. Dear Prudence

    Oct 05, 1968Recording "Savoy Truffle", recording and mixing "Martha My Dear", "Honey Pie", mixing "Dear Prudence"

  136. Honey Pie

    Oct 05, 1968Recording "Savoy Truffle", recording and mixing "Martha My Dear", "Honey Pie", mixing "Dear Prudence"

  137. Martha My Dear

    Oct 05, 1968Recording "Savoy Truffle", recording and mixing "Martha My Dear", "Honey Pie", mixing "Dear Prudence"

  138. Savoy Truffle

    Oct 05, 1968Recording "Savoy Truffle", recording and mixing "Martha My Dear", "Honey Pie", mixing "Dear Prudence"

  139. Honey Pie

    Oct 07, 1968Mixing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", recording "Long Long Long"

  140. Long, Long, Long

    Oct 07, 1968Mixing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", recording "Long Long Long"

  141. Martha My Dear

    Oct 07, 1968Mixing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", recording "Long Long Long"

  142. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

    Oct 07, 1968Mixing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", recording "Long Long Long"

  143. I'm So Tired

    Oct 08, 1968Recording "Long Long Long", "I'm So Tired", "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill"

  144. Long, Long, Long

    Oct 08, 1968Recording "Long Long Long", "I'm So Tired", "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill"

  145. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill

    Oct 08, 1968Recording "Long Long Long", "I'm So Tired", "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill"

  146. Helter Skelter

    Oct 09, 1968Mixing "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill", recording "Long, Long, Long", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road"

  147. Long, Long, Long

    Oct 09, 1968Mixing "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill", recording "Long, Long, Long", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road"

  148. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill

    Oct 09, 1968Mixing "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill", recording "Long, Long, Long", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road"

  149. Why Don't We Do It In The Road?

    Oct 09, 1968Mixing "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill", recording "Long, Long, Long", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road"

  150. Glass Onion

    Oct 10, 1968Recording and mixing: "Piggies", "Glass Onion", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?", "Rocky Raccoon", "Long, Long, Long"

  151. Long, Long, Long

    Oct 10, 1968Recording and mixing: "Piggies", "Glass Onion", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?", "Rocky Raccoon", "Long, Long, Long"

  152. Piggies

    Oct 10, 1968Recording and mixing: "Piggies", "Glass Onion", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?", "Rocky Raccoon", "Long, Long, Long"

  153. Rocky Raccoon

    Oct 10, 1968Recording and mixing: "Piggies", "Glass Onion", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?", "Rocky Raccoon", "Long, Long, Long"

  154. Why Don't We Do It In The Road?

    Oct 10, 1968Recording and mixing: "Piggies", "Glass Onion", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?", "Rocky Raccoon", "Long, Long, Long"

  155. Don't Pass Me By

    Oct 11, 1968Recording and mixing "Savoy Truffle", "Piggies", "Don't Pass Me By", "Good Night"

  156. Good Night

    Oct 11, 1968Recording and mixing "Savoy Truffle", "Piggies", "Don't Pass Me By", "Good Night"

  157. Piggies

    Oct 11, 1968Recording and mixing "Savoy Truffle", "Piggies", "Don't Pass Me By", "Good Night"

  158. Savoy Truffle

    Oct 11, 1968Recording and mixing "Savoy Truffle", "Piggies", "Don't Pass Me By", "Good Night"

  159. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My

    Oct 12, 1968Mixing "Everybody's Got Something...", "Helter Skelter", "Mother Nature's Son", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Long, Long, Long"

  160. Helter Skelter

    Oct 12, 1968Mixing "Everybody's Got Something...", "Helter Skelter", "Mother Nature's Son", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Long, Long, Long"

  161. Long, Long, Long

    Oct 12, 1968Mixing "Everybody's Got Something...", "Helter Skelter", "Mother Nature's Son", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Long, Long, Long"

  162. Mother Nature's Son

    Oct 12, 1968Mixing "Everybody's Got Something...", "Helter Skelter", "Mother Nature's Son", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Long, Long, Long"

  163. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

    Oct 12, 1968Mixing "Everybody's Got Something...", "Helter Skelter", "Mother Nature's Son", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Long, Long, Long"

  164. Back In The U.S.S.R.

    Oct 13, 1968Recording and mixing "Julia", "Dear Prudence", "Wild Honey Pie", "Back In The U.S.S.R.", "Blackbird"

  165. Blackbird

    Oct 13, 1968Recording and mixing "Julia", "Dear Prudence", "Wild Honey Pie", "Back In The U.S.S.R.", "Blackbird"

  166. Dear Prudence

    Oct 13, 1968Recording and mixing "Julia", "Dear Prudence", "Wild Honey Pie", "Back In The U.S.S.R.", "Blackbird"

  167. Julia

    Oct 13, 1968Recording and mixing "Julia", "Dear Prudence", "Wild Honey Pie", "Back In The U.S.S.R.", "Blackbird"

  168. Wild Honey Pie

    Oct 13, 1968Recording and mixing "Julia", "Dear Prudence", "Wild Honey Pie", "Back In The U.S.S.R.", "Blackbird"

  169. Birthday

    Oct 14, 1968Recording and mixing "I Will", "Birthday", "Savoy Truffle", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Long Long Long", "Yer Blues

  170. I Will

    Oct 14, 1968Recording and mixing "I Will", "Birthday", "Savoy Truffle", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Long Long Long", "Yer Blues

  171. Long, Long, Long

    Oct 14, 1968Recording and mixing "I Will", "Birthday", "Savoy Truffle", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Long Long Long", "Yer Blues

  172. Savoy Truffle

    Oct 14, 1968Recording and mixing "I Will", "Birthday", "Savoy Truffle", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Long Long Long", "Yer Blues

  173. Sexy Sadie

    Oct 14, 1968Recording and mixing "I Will", "Birthday", "Savoy Truffle", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Long Long Long", "Yer Blues

  174. What's The New Mary Jane

    Oct 14, 1968Recording and mixing "I Will", "Birthday", "Savoy Truffle", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Long Long Long", "Yer Blues

  175. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

    Oct 14, 1968Recording and mixing "I Will", "Birthday", "Savoy Truffle", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Long Long Long", "Yer Blues

  176. Yer Blues

    Oct 14, 1968Recording and mixing "I Will", "Birthday", "Savoy Truffle", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Long Long Long", "Yer Blues

  177. Cry Baby Cry

    Oct 15, 1968Mixing "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "I'm So Tired", "Cry Baby Cry"

  178. Happiness Is A Warm Gun

    Oct 15, 1968Mixing "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "I'm So Tired", "Cry Baby Cry"

  179. I'm So Tired

    Oct 15, 1968Mixing "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "I'm So Tired", "Cry Baby Cry"

  180. Crossfades and edits for LP

    October 16-17, 1968Mixing "Why Don't We Do It In The Road", "It's All Too Much" and cross-fades for the White Album

  181. It's All Too Much

    October 16-17, 1968Mixing "Why Don't We Do It In The Road", "It's All Too Much" and cross-fades for the White Album

  182. Why Don't We Do It In The Road?

    October 16-17, 1968Mixing "Why Don't We Do It In The Road", "It's All Too Much" and cross-fades for the White Album

  183. Don't Pass Me By

    Oct 18, 1968Tape copying "Yer Blues", "Don't Pass Me By"

  184. Yer Blues

    Oct 18, 1968Tape copying "Yer Blues", "Don't Pass Me By"


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!

Buy on Amazon

The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)

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.

Buy on Amazon

Paul McCartney writing

Talk more talk, chat more chat

Notice any inaccuracies on this page? Have additional insights or ideas for new content? Or just want to share your thoughts? We value your feedback! Please use the form below to get in touch with us.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2024 • Please note this site is strictly non-commercial. All pictures, videos & quoted texts remain the property of the respective copyright owner, and no implication of ownership by us is intended or should be inferred. Any copyright owner who wants something removed should contact us and we will do so immediately. Alternatively, we would be delighted to provide credits.