West Malling Air Station, West Malling, Maidstone

A one-day return to West Malling to film miscellaneous Magical Mystery Tour pick-up shots with the coach.

Top 20 Song Chart for September 30, 1967

1. The Letter - The Box Tops

2. To Sir With Love - Lulu

3. Never My Love - The Association

4. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison

5. Ode To Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry

6. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher) -  Jackie Wilson

7. Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie - Jack & The Techniques

8. Come Back When You Grow Up - Bobby Vee & The Strangers

9. I Dig Rock & Roll Music - Peter, Paul & Mary

10. Expressway (To Your Heart) - The Soul Survivors

11. Gimme Little Sign - Brenton Wood

12. How Can I Be Sure - The Young Rascals

13. Little Old Man (Uptight, Everything's Alright) - Bill Cosby

14. You Know What I Mean - The Turtles

15. I Make A Fool Of Myself - Frankie Valli

16. Dandelion - The Rolling Stones

17. Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song) - The Buckinghams

18. Get On Up - The Esquires

19. Funky Broadway - Wilson Pickett

20. The Look Of Love - Dusty Springfield

Television: The Frost Programme

John Lennon and George Harrison took part in an interview with David Frost for The Frost Programme on this evening. It was recorded before a studio audience between 6pm and 7pm at Studio One at Wembley Studios in London.

Lennon: "Buddha was a groove, Jesus was all right."

Harrison: "I believe in reincarnation. Life and death are still only relative to thought. I believe in rebirth. You keep coming back until you have got it straight. The ultimate thing is to manifest divinity, and become one with The Creator."

The interview was shown on the ITV network from 10.30-11.15pm. The programme also featured an interview with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, which had been recorded earlier in the day at London Airport.

Lennon and Harrison gave a second interview to The Frost Programme on October 4, 1967, when once again they duiscussed Transcendental Meditation.

Recording, mixing, editing: I Am The Walrus, Flying

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Ken Scott

Two songs for the Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack were worked on during this session: I Am The Walrus and Flying.

George Martin then turned his attention to I Am The Walrus. All four tracks on the tape were full after the backing vocals were recorded during the previous day's session. Furthermore, the rhythm guitar, bass and lead vocals were all on the same track due to reduction mixes made on that day, the last being labelled take 25.

To allow greater flexibility, George Martin went back to the earlier take 17, which had a spare track, and dubbed the orchestral and choral overdubs onto it. All subsequent mixing was done from this take.

The Beatles were present for the evening session, which began at 7pm and ended at 3am. It began with four mono mixes, numbered 2-5, of I Am The Walrus. The second was considered best for the time being, although it was replaced the following evening.

Flying, which at this stage still had the working title Aerial Tour Instrumental, was then given more overdubs. Ringo Starr played maracas, George Harrison added an acoustic guitar part, and John Lennon played the Mellotron on the flute setting.

Lennon and Starr also prepared some tape loops containing Mellotron, organ and chimes, to replace the previous Dixieland ending. These were added in five separate overdubs: the first lasted from 1'24" until 2'48", and was played backwards; the second ran from 2'51" to 5'14"; the third appeared from 5'25" to 6'09"; tape four was played backwards from 6'16" to 7'01"; and the final one, also played backwards, lasted from 7'06 to 9'35".

These were likely assembled as incidental music to be used throughout the film, rather than as a part of Flying; the final mix fades before the first tape had ended. At the end of the session two mono mixes were made of Flying, numbered five and six, the latter of which was selected for the soundtrack release.

Recording, mixing: I Am The Walrus

Studios One and Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Ken Scott

Two separate sessions took place on this day, involving overdubs for the Magical Mystery Tour song I Am The Walrus.

The session musicians were recorded simultaneously with a reduction mix, in Abbey Road's Studio Two. It took seven attempts - numbered 18-24 - to complete, with take 20 being the best. The final four takes, however, were edit pieces not lasting the length of the song.

The musicians were: violinists Sidney Sax, Jack Rothstein, Ralph Elman, Andrew McGee, Jack Greene, Louis Stevens, John Jezzard and Jack Richards; cellists Lionel Ross, Eldon Fox, Bram Martin and Terry Weil; clarinetist Gordon Lewin; and horn players Neil Sanders, Tony Tunstall and Morris Miller.

The day's second session took place in Studio One from 7pm to 3.30am. This was for the choral overdubs, and began with a reduction mix of take 20, which became take 25.

I had this whole choir saying 'Everybody's got one, everybody's got one.' But when you get thirty people, male and female, on top of thirty cellos and on top of the Beatles' rock 'n' roll rhythm section, you can't hear what they're saying.

The Mike Sammes Singers were the session vocalists on the track, and recorded their parts in one take simultaneously with the reduction mix. The singers were: Peggie Allen, Wendy Horan, Pat Whitmore, Jill Utting, June Day, Sylvia King, Irene King, G Mallen, Fred Lucas, Mike Redway, John O'Neill, F Dachtler, Allan Grant, D Griffiths, J Smith and J Fraser.

John worked with George Martin on the orchestration and did some very exciting things with the Mike Sammes Singers... Most of the time they got asked to do Sing Something Simple and all the old songs, but John got them doing all sorts of swoops and phonetic noises. It was a fascinating session. That was John's baby, great one, a really good one.

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

A re-make of "The Fool On The Hill", with a basic rock recordig numbered take five, onto which a host of instrumentswere overdubbed. This was then reduced into take six with vocals and ass superimposed.

Producer George Martin was absent for this 7:00 pm to 4:15 am session, the Beatles' new balance engineer Ken Scott having to fulfill double duties.

Editing: Magical Mystery Tour

The Beatles began editing the Magical Mystery Tour television film on this day. They had thought it would be completed in a week, but it took a total of 11.

The editing was done by Roy Benson at Norman's Film Productions on Old Compton Street in London's Soho. Paul McCartney was there for the entire 11 weeks, occasionally joined by other members of the group. The unclear hierarchy within The Beatles at the time slowed down work considerably, as others would order scenes to be recut.

Roy Benson had previously worked as an editor on A Hard Day's Night.

He and I got our heads together and I said, 'Well, look, we've shot all this, and we've got clapper boards on some of it.' He said, 'Not on everything?' I said, 'No, no. No, some of it we just shot, but I'm sure it synchs.'

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

This was the final day of filming for Magical Mystery Tour at West Malling Air Station in Maidstone, Kent.

A ballroom set was constructed in the huge aircraft hanger area, for the film's finale. Following lengthy rehearsals, The Beatles were filmed alongside 160 members of Peggy Spencer's formation dance team, miming and dancing to Your Mother Should Know.

The Beatles all wore white suits and carnations. Also in the scene were the rest of the cast, and 24 cadets from the West Malling branch of the Women's Royal Air Force.

Also on this day, a sequence was filmed in which the coach party, minus The Beatles, cheered and waved for the cameras, another in which the entire cast walked past the camera, and an unused scene in which Ivor Cutler performed a song at a white organ, with contributions from The Beatles and the coach passengers.

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

This was the fifth day of filming for Magical Mystery Tour at West Malling Air Station in Maidstone, Kent.

Among the exterior shots filmed during the week at the army base were the marathon scene, which took place on the main runway and perimeter road; another in which a group of people including Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall had their picture taken by Little George the photographer; and a tug of war involving 12 children and blindfolded vicars.

The most memorable of the exterior shots, however, was for I Am The Walrus. The Beatles mimed to the song at two locations at the airfield, including use of high anti-blast concrete walls atop which the group and four actors dressed as policemen stood.

Time Magazine!

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

This was the third day of filming for Magical Mystery Tour at West Malling Air Station in Maidstone, Kent.

The army base saw the filming of many of the interior and exterior shots for the television special. Among them was a scene in a hut outside the main hangar, in which Paul McCartney dressed up in army uniform as Major McCartney. Victor Spinetti appeared as a recruiting sergeant, and shouted instructions at Ringo Starr, Aunt Jessie and other passengers on the mystery trip.

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

This was the second day of filming for Magical Mystery Tour at West Malling Air Station in Maidstone, Kent.

The Beatles worked at the army base for six days, staying at a nearby hotel each night. A number of interior shots were filmed in the enormous hanger space, including the magicians' laboratory sequence, Aunt Jessie's dream, and a sequence for George Harrison's Blue Jay Way.

John Lennon Shooting the magicians sequence for Magical Mystery Tour at West Malling, September 19, 1967

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

The second week of filming for the Magical Mystery Tour television special began with a visit to the Raymond Revuebar strip club in London's Soho.

The Beatles and other passengers from the coach trip were filmed watching Jan Carson's topless strip, accompanied by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band performing Death Cab For Cutie.

In the final edit, a 'Censored' sign was superimposed to obscure Carson's bare breasts. The Beatles knew that, had they failed to do so, the BBC and other broadcasting companies would have cut the entire scene.

Jan Carson was a stripper who worked for Paul Raymond during the 1960s at his famous Revuebar in London.

The Beatles are taking a break today.

Recording, mixing: Your Mother Should Know, Blue Jay Way

Studio Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Ken Scott

Although The Beatles had recorded a version of Your Mother Should Know on August 22nd and 23rd, 1967, they began a remake on this day.

Eleven new takes were recorded, numbered 20-30. The recording was led by the song's composer Paul McCartney, who played harmonium and sang a guide vocal on the backing track. He was accompanied by drums, bongos and a piano, the latter recorded via a Leslie speaker.

Take 27 was temporarily marked the best, and was later released on 1996's Anthology 2. Take 30 was also considered as a contender, but ultimately neither was used and The Beatles eventually used the August recordings.

Also during this session, which ran from 7pm-3.45am, a demo mono mix of Blue Jay Way was made, which was then taken away by Gavrik Losey, an assistant to the Magical Mystery Tour film's producer Denis O'Dell.

This was the first Beatles session for which Ken Scott worked as a balance engineer. Scott had been tape operator on a number of prior sessions, but by this time the group's previous engineer, Geoff Emerick, had decided to step aside. Scott later became an acclaimed producer for acts including David Bowie.

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

The first week of filming for the Magical Mystery Tour television special saw a number of scenes being filmed between Newquay and London.

The coach party had stayed for three nights at the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay. Following breakfast on this morning, a brief scene was filmed in front of the coach and hotel in which the entire party cheered and waved to the cameras.

The coach then left for London, stopping for several scenes en route. The first of these was unused in the final edit, but involved people crowding into a tiny chip shop, Smedley's at 108 Roman Road in Taunton, Somerset. The Beatles were filmed firstly from behind the counter ordering food, and then in the main part of the shop eating their lunch.

More filming took place in a country pub, a hall, a hostel and on board the coach. During the latter, accordionist Shirley Evans led the coach party with a number of singalong songs including Toot Toot Tootsie, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, When The Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along and the Can Can.

The coach dropped John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr off in Virginia Water, Surrey. Paul McCartney remained on board until its final destination, Allsop Place in London.

A second week of filming for Magical Mystery Tour began on Monday 18 September 1967.

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

The fourth day of filming for Magical Mystery Tour began with a scene in a field near Newquay in the south west of England.

In the morning the coach party set off to look for a secluded field. Upon setting up the camera and lighting equipment, however, crowds of onlookers meant police had to deal with a traffic jam. Two scenes were filmed in the field, only one of which - the passengers crowding into a small tent - was used. The other was of George Harrison meditating in the field while wearing am oversized blue jacket.

The coach returned to the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay for a late lunch at 4pm, with music in the dining room provided by a resident band. Although the lunch was filmed, it was left out of the final cut.

In the evening, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Neil Aspinall and others, including BBC radio reporter Miranda Ward, visited a pub in Perranporth where they were joined by musician Spencer Davis, who was holidaying in the area with his family.

The evening ended with a lock-in until after 2am, during which McCartney led a singalong around the pub piano. According to Miranda Ward, he sang "every pub standard bar Yellow Submarine, which he refused to play".

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

ilming: Magical Mystery Tour
Wednesday 13 September 1967 Film and video

The third day of filming for Magical Mystery Tour began in Watergate Bay in Newquay in the south west of England.

In the late morning The Beatles and some of the hired actors were taken to the bay. There, the group were filmed looking through a telescope, although the scene failed to make the final cut. Aunt Jessie was also filmed with Buster Bloodvessel (Ivor Cutler) on Tregurrian Beach, although the BBC cut it too, having decided it was unsuitable for viewers.

Following lunch at Newquay's Atlantic Hotel, afternoon filming took place in two separate groups. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr took the coach and most of the passengers to Porth near Watergate Bay.

During the journey Starr and Aunt Jessie ad libbed an argument for the cameras. In the late afternoon, on the beach at Porth, McCartney was filmed walking and cycling on a tandem with Little George the Photographer, played by George Claydon.

Back in the Newquay hotel, John Lennon directed a sequence in which Happy Nat the Rubber Man, played by Nat Jackley, chased bikini-clad women around the swimming pool. The shoot continued on the cliffs at nearby Holywell, although it was left out of the final edit.

George Harrison was the only Beatle not to take part in afternoon filming. Instead, he gave a lengthy radio interview to the BBC's Miranda Ward, half of which was broadcast on the first edition of Radio 1's Scene And Heard on 30 September 1967 from 6.30pm. The second part was broadcast on the following week's show.

Ward stayed in Newquay until Friday 15 September, and on the Thursday interviewed Ringo Starr for Scene And Heard. This was broadcast in the 14 October edition.

12 September 1967: Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour
Tuesday 12 September 1967 Film and video

The first full day of filming for The Beatles' television film Magical Mystery Tour took place in the south west of England.

The coach had arrived in Teignmouth in Devon on the previous night, and the party stayed at the Royal Hotel. Following breakfast on this day, the coach set off once again and headed for the Dartmoor village of Widecombe.

The annual village fair was being held in Widecombe, and it was decided that filming should take place there. However, the driver Alf Manders took a shortcut in order to beat traffic queues, and the coach became stuck on a narrow bridge.

The coach had to be reversed for half a mile, and tempers frayed on board. Footage was made of on-board arguments, though none was used. In the end The Beatles decided to abandon the trip to the fair, disappointing some local fans who had heard about their impending arrival.

The mystery trip continued instead to Plymouth on the A38. The party had lunch in the Grand Hotel, situated on the famous Plymouth Hoe, where The Beatles posed for photographers from national newspapers.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were also interviewed by BBC TV reporter Hugh Scully. The interview was shown as the lead item on the local news programme Spotlight South West on the following day from 5.55pm.

The party then boarded the coach once more, and continued along the A38. Stops were made at Liskeard and Bodmin - where filming took place outside West End Dairy in Higher Bore Street and no Paull Road. For the latter scene, the courier Jolly Jimmy Johnson, played by Derek Royle, boarded the coach and welcomed everybody. The sequence was used at the beginning of the film.

The final destination for the day was the Atlantic Hotel on Dane Road, Newquay. The Beatles had intended to stay for just one night, but eventually decided to use it as a base for three nights. They slept in four holiday flats.

Filming: Magical Mystery Tour

The filming of The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour was mostly done in two week-long periods. The first began on this day.

It was traditional for pop package tours, involving several bands, to begin at London's Allsop Place, near to Baker Street underground station. Paul McCartney decided that the mystery trip should start at the same location at 10.45am.

The coach, however, was still being decorated with the Magical Mystery Tour lettering and colours. The passengers - included family, friends, fan club staff, actors and other selected travellers - were made to wait two hours for its arrival.

While waiting, McCartney went to the London Transport café above Baker Street station, where he bought a cup of tea and signed autographs. He then went to Soho with Mal Evans to purchase appropriate uniforms for the driver and courier.

As the coach left London on the A30, Neil Aspinall gave each person a £5 note to cover their meals for the week. There were 43 people on the coach, including the group and the film technicians. John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were picked up in Virginia Water, Surrey, close to their homes.

Filming began soon after, with scenes improvised on the coach and during a lunch break at the Pied Piper restaurant in Basingstoke, Hampshire. Late in the evening the coach arrived at its first destination, the Royal Hotel at The Den, Teignmouth, Devon, where the entire party spent the night.

The Beatles arrived at the hotel in a car, having swapped vehicles just outside the town in a bid to remain incognito. Nevertheless, they were greeted by 400 local teenagers, who had discovered their supposedly secret plans and waited in the rain to catch a glimpse of the stars.

At the hotel McCartney gave an impromptu press conference, where he gave an outline of The Beatles' plans for the film. He and Neil Aspinall then sorted out room arrangements for the coach party, before discussing the next day's shooting with Lennon and technical director Peter Theobalds.

The Royal Hotel in Teignmouth was later remodelled as the Royal Court apartments.

The Beatles are in-between recording.

Paul McCartney Interview: New Musical Express 9/9/1967

In the early part of September 1967, Paul McCartney invited Norrie Drummond to his Cavendish Avenue home for an exclusive interview. The conversation would be published in the September 9th issue of the New Musical Express, and later reprinted for the United States in the January 1968 issue of Hit Parader magazine.

The article as it orignally appeared was entitled 'Paul Is Still Seeking, But George Has Found Great Faith' with a teaser on the NME cover that read, 'Beatle Paul's New Life.'

This chat between Drummond and McCartney touches on spiritual matters, and the Beatles' new creative vantage point. At the time of this interview the Beatles are making last minute arrangements to begin filming their made-for-TV movie 'Magical Mystery Tour.' Meanwhile, the 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' LP is still at the number one spot on the US and British album charts, three solid months following its June release.

                                          - Jay Spangler, www.beatlesinterviews.org

As most people must have noticed, the Beatles have undergone a major change in the past year. The moptops have gone and been replaced by four highly individual, creative personalities. The 'yeah-yeahs' and the 'ooohs' have given way to sitars and melotrons. The Beatle boots and round-collared jackets have been discarded and been replaced by kaftans and beads. No longer is it news when they are seen at clubs or theatres. At last the screams are fading away. To find out more about the great Beatles' transformation I visited Paul McCartney at his St. John's Wood home recently.

I told my taxi-driver the address. "Oh, you mean where that Beatle lives," he said. No more than half a dozen fans were waiting patiently at the massive iron gates of his house. The gates were opened by his housekeeper, Mrs. Mills ("She still hasn't given me a tune yet," says Paul), who led me into the lounge.

Paul's huge Old English Sheepdog, Martha, bounded forward, leaped up, put both front paws on my shoulders and started chewing my tie. His three cats -- Jesus, Joseph and Mary -- were crawling over each other underneath the television set. Paul, dressed in a green, floral-patterned shirt and green slacks, sat cross-legged in a large green velvet armchair. Mike McGear, Paul's brother, was just leaving with several kaftans over his arm. A large 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' poster is pinned to one wall. His book collection includes many works on yoga and meditation. At the moment all four Beatles are on holiday, although they have been recording.

"When I used to tell you we didn't know what our plans were, it was simply that we hadn't been told what we were going to be doing. Now we simply just don't know."

Mrs. Mills reappeared bearing cups of tea and a large cream sponge. "The only thing lined up for us is the TV show," said Paul, stirring his tea. "But we're still trying to work out the format. We've also been recording the past few nights, and our next album will probably come from the TV show."

Anything that the Beatles now indulge in they obviously do for love, not for money. "We can now sit back and pick and choose what we want to do. We're not going to turn out records or films just for the sake of it. We don't want to talk unless we've got something to say."

"When you don't have to make a living, a job has a different meaning. Most people have to earn a wage to live. If you don't, you take a job to relieve the boredom, but you do something which gives you pleasure."

"We enjoy recording, but we want to go even further. I would like to come up with a completely new form of music, invent new sounds. I want to do something, but I don't really know what."

"At the moment I'm thinking things out. There seems to be a pause in my life right now... a time for reassessment." I asked Paul if he ever regarded himself as being rather like a retired man of sixty-five, who was now only pottering around, dabbling in his favorite hobby. To a certain extent he was inclined to agree. "I don't regard myself as having retired, but what do most people do when they retire? As you say, they become wrapped up in a hobby. Either that or they find another job."

"I would like to do something else, but what that will be, I don't know." Despite the fact that three of the Beatles are married and they are, all four of them, very different individuals, they still have that same bond of loyalty to each other that they have always had. They are still each others' best friends. If they are asked to do something as a group and any one of them doesn't want to take part, then the scheme is dropped. "If three of us wanted to make a film, for instance, and the fourth didn't think it was a good idea, we'd forget about it, because the fourth person would have a very good reason for not wanting to do it."

In the past year Paul has become a much more introspective person. He is constantly striving to discover more about other people. What is depression? Why do people become bored? What is his ultimate goal? These are the questions to which Paul has tried to find the answers in books on meditation and in lectures by men who know more about it than he does. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is playing a big part in developing the Beatle minds. He is the man who gave them strength when they heard of Brian Epstein's tragic death. "I'm more tolerant now than I was, and I feel more at ease myself, but I'm not less certain about many things," said Paul. "In some ways I envy George, because he now has a great faith. He seems to have found what he's been searching for."

"When we went to India we were amazed. So many people, living in terrible poverty... but everyone was so happy. They were always laughing and smiling, even though most of them were starving. For people in the Western world to understand why these people can be so happy is a very difficult thing."

With John, George, and Ringo, Paul will be flying to India again shortly to study transcendental meditation with Maharishi.

To a certain extent, Paul's music is his greatest emotional outlet. "Ravi Shankar discovered himself through his music, and I suppose in many ways we are, too." This is apparent in their latest albums, which feature many tracks based on personal experiences. But how far can one go with any new art form, be it music, films or theatre? Will the great general public accept it? "We've never set out with the sole intention of trying to please people. It's been wonderful that so many have appreciated what we've done. We don't want to come to a point where we wave 'cheerio' to anyone. We want to take them along with us."

Paul McCartney certainly is more at ease now and much more tolerant and understanding. But he's still searching for something. Whether or not he'll ever find it, I just don't know. But he is determined to, somehow.

Source: Transcribed by www.beatlesinterviews.org from original magazine issue

Recording, mixing: Flying

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick

One of The Beatles' requirements for the Magical Mystery Tour project was the creation of enough music for the soundtrack. In addition to the songs, they also worked on several pieces of incidental music. One of these was Flying, which was recorded on this day under the working title Aerial Tour Instrumental.

Flying had the distinction of being the first Beatles instrumental - wordless chanting aside - to be released, although they had recorded the unreleased Cry For A Shadow and 12-Bar Original. It was also the first to be given a composing credit to all four Beatles.

The group recorded six takes of Flying. The session was led by Paul McCartney, and featured him on bass guitar, John Lennon on organ, George Harrison on guitar and Ringo Starr on drums. Three organ overdubs were then added – recorded with the tape running backwards – onto the three remaining tracks.

Two reduction mixes were made to free up two extra tracks on the tape, the best of which was numbered take eight. Lennon then overdubbed the melody on a Mellotron set to the trumpet setting, before all four Beatles added chants.

Flying was given four mono mixes at the end of the session, which ran until 2.45am. The last of these mixes was selected as the best, and was cut onto acetate discs for use in the film production. Interestingly, the mix contains elements later removed, including slide whistle, Mellotron flutes, and the sound of a Dixieland band playing a march – one of the built-in Mellotron tapes. This early version of Flying ended with a sampled "yeah" spoken by Bill Fransen, one of the creators of the Mellotron.

New mono mixes of Flying were made on 28 September 1967, along with more last-minute overdubs and edits.

Recording: Blue Jay Way

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick

Following the initial session on 6 September 1967, work continued on George Harrison's song Blue Jay Way.

The first task was to create a reduction mix to allow more overdubs to be added. Harrison double-tracked his lead vocals, after which a second reduction mix - numbered take three - was made.

Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney then added some backing vocals onto track three. These were put through a Hammond organ's Leslie speaker to give a swirling effect. Track four was left empty for now.

This session began at 7pm and continued until 3.15am on the morning of 8 September. Recording for Blue Jay Way was concluded on 6 October 1967.

Recording, mixing: I Am The Walrus, The Fool On The Hill, Blue Jay Way

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick

A productive eight-hour session, which saw work continue on I Am The Walrus, and the beginning of The Fool On The Hill and Blue Jay Way.

The first task was to create a reduction mix of I Am The Walrus, to make room on the tape for further overdubs. The mix was numbered take 17, and combined the previous day's pianet, electric guitar, tambourine and drums. Paul McCartney then recorded a bass guitar part and Ringo Starr added extra snare drum, both played simultaneously onto track three of the four-track tape, and John Lennon overdubbed his lead vocals onto track four.

In his autobiography, radio DJ Kenny Everett, who was present at the session, explained why Lennon's vocals were so raw.

George Martin, their producer, was working with John on the vocal track and he said: 'Look, you've been singing now for about seven hours, you're beginnng to sound hoarse, why don't we do it tomorrow?' John wanted to get it done that day and that's why he sounds so raucous on that track.  (Kenny Everett  - The Custard Stops At Hatfield)

Four mono mixes of I Am The Walrus were then made for references purposes, only the last of which was complete. Acetate discs were then cut for reference purposes, and one was used for miming during the Magical Mystery Tour film later in the month. Despite this, the song was far from complete, and required a number of other overdubs and edits.

A separate mix was made for 1996's Anthology 2, which combined take 16 from 5 September 1967 with the vocal overdub from this day.

Paul McCartney had written The Fool On The Hill in March 1967, although the lyrics were incomplete at that early stage. During this session he recorded a piano demo in a single take, which was eventually issued on Anthology 2. The song was also cut onto acetate, and work on the song continued on 25 September.

Also recorded on this day was the rhythm track of George Harrison's Blue Jay Way, which was taped in a single take. Harrison played Hammond organ, McCartney was on bass guitar, Starr on drums, and Lennon played a second organ.

Blue Jay Way was given a reduction mix during the next day's session to prepare for further overdubs.

Recording: I Am The Walrus

Studio One, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick

Following the death of Brian Epstein on 27 August 1967, The Beatles regrouped at Paul McCartney's London home on 1 September 1967, where the decision was made to continue work on the Magical Mystery Tour project.

Four days later they began work on one of the soundtrack's highlights, John Lennon's surrealist masterpiece I Am The Walrus. Sixteen takes of the rhythm track were recorded during this session, which began at 7pm and ended at 1am the following morning.

Lennon played a pianet electric piano, McCartney played bass on the initial takes and later switched to tambourine, while George Harrison was on electric guitar and Ringo Starr played drums. Lennon also sang a guide vocal to help the band follow the song.

At this stage there was an extra bar prior to the "Yellow matter custard" verse, which caused the group some problems when performing. They were supposed to play a C major seventh chord during the bar as a transition back to the verse, as heard on Anthology 2, but had trouble remembering the change. The bar was eventually removed during the editing stage.

Eventually The Beatles recorded a satisfactory version - take 16 - which was given further overdubs on the following day. Take 16 featured tambourine on track one, electric guitar on track two, drums on three, and pianet on four.

Handwritten lyrics for I Am The Walrus

The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi gives an audience to the Beatles and friends, on September 4, 1967.

Left to right: Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Patti Harrison, unknown, Ringo Starr, his wife Maureen, John Lennon, George Harrison and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

The Beatles taking a break today.

Top 20 Song Chart for September 2, 1967

1. Reflections - Diana Ross & The Supremes

2. Ode To Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry

3. All You Need Is Love - The Beatles

4. Pleasant Valley Sunday - The Monkees

5. Baby I Love You - Aretha Franklin

6. (I Wanna) Testify - The Parliaments

7. The Letter - The Box Tops

8. Come Back When You Grow Up - Bobby Vee and The Strangers

9. Heroes & Villains - The Beach Boys

10. You're My Everything - The Temptations

11. Words - The Monkees

12. Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie - Jay & The Techniques

13. A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum

14. Funky Broadway - Wilson Pickett

15. Never My Love - The Association

16. There Is A Mountain - Donovan

17. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison

18. Cold Sweat - James Brown & The Famous Flames

19. Light My Fire - The Doors

20. I Thank The Lord For The Night Time - Neil Diamond