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"The Family Way" sessions

c. November 1966 • For Paul McCartney

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Album Songs recorded during this session officially appear on the The Family Way - Original Soundtrack Recording (2011) Official album.

Timeline

Session c. November 1966 • "The Family Way" sessions
More from year 1966

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Since the mid-1960s, McCartney had been keen on accepting film commissions. His maiden assignment, the soundtrack for Roy and John Boulting’s The Family Way, marked the first solo foray by any of the Beatles. But when it came to doing the actual work, McCartney was nowhere to be found, leaving the indefatigable Martin to jumpstart the project. Eventually McCartney came through with what his producer admitted was the germ of “a sweet little fragment of a waltz tune,” the basis of “Love in the Open Air,” and Martin was off to the races. “If it sounds like it was done in a hurry,” Martin later pointed out, “it’s because it was done in a hurry.” It would be McCartney who would earn an Ivor Novello Award for Best Instrumental Theme for his work on The Family Way.3

Womack, Kenneth. Solid State (pp. 56-57). Cornell University Press. Kindle Edition.

English singer, songwriter and musician Paul McCartney in a studio to record 'The Family Way', November 1966. At the back is cellist Therese Motard. Composed for the film of the same name, 'The Family Way' is considered by many to be the first Beatles solo album. A photoshoot for The Sunday Times.
English singer, songwriter and musician Paul McCartney in a studio to record ‘The Family Way’, November 1966. At the back is cellist Therese Motard. Composed for the film of the same name, ‘The Family Way’ is considered by many to be the first Beatles solo album. A photoshoot for The Sunday Times.
English singer, songwriter and musician Paul McCartney in a studio to record 'The Family Way', November 1966. At the back right, in a white shirt, is arranger and producer George Martin, and on the far left is cellist Therese Motard. Composed for the film of the same name, 'The Family Way' is considered by many to be the first Beatles solo album. A photoshoot for The Sunday Times.
English singer, songwriter and musician Paul McCartney in a studio to record ‘The Family Way’, November 1966. At the back right, in a white shirt, is arranger and producer George Martin, and on the far left is cellist Therese Motard. Composed for the film of the same name, ‘The Family Way’ is considered by many to be the first Beatles solo album. A photoshoot for The Sunday Times.
English singer, songwriter and musician Paul McCartney in a studio to record 'The Family Way', November 1966. Composed for the film of the same name, 'The Family Way' is considered by many to be the first Beatles solo album. A photoshoot for The Sunday Times.
English singer, songwriter and musician Paul McCartney in a studio to record ‘The Family Way’, November 1966. Composed for the film of the same name, ‘The Family Way’ is considered by many to be the first Beatles solo album. A photoshoot for The Sunday Times.
English singer, songwriter and musician Paul McCartney (left) in a studio to record 'The Family Way', November 1966. Centre, in a white shirt, is arranger and producer George Martin. Composed for the film of the same name, 'The Family Way' is considered by many to be the first Beatles solo album. A photoshoot for The Sunday Times.
English singer, songwriter and musician Paul McCartney (left) in a studio to record ‘The Family Way’, November 1966. Centre, in a white shirt, is arranger and producer George Martin. Composed for the film of the same name, ‘The Family Way’ is considered by many to be the first Beatles solo album. A photoshoot for The Sunday Times.
From Facebook – December 1966 – Photo by Brian Duffy © (https://www.duffyarchive.com/)

Last updated on January 1, 2022

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Going further

Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium

We owe a lot to Chip Madinger and Mark Easter for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details!

Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium is the ultimate look at the careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr beyond the Beatles. Every aspect of their professional careers as solo artists is explored, from recording sessions, record releases and tours, to television, film and music videos, including everything in between. From their early film soundtrack work to the officially released retrospectives, all solo efforts by the four men are exhaustively examined.

As the paperback version is out of print, you can buy a PDF version on the authors' website

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