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The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 12, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles in-between recording at Studio Two in London.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 12, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles, with the completion of "Good Day Sunshine" are in-between recording at EMI Studios in London.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 11, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 11, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles are in-between sessions at EMI Studios in London.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 10, 1966 - 0 Comments

Paperback Writer released on this day 50 years ago.....

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 10, 1966 - 0 Comments


The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 9, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

A 2:30 to 8:00 pm session that brought completion to "Good Day Sunshine" with such overdubs as George Martin's honky-tonk piano solo. Six mono mixes concluded the evening, two hours ahead of the scheduled 10:00 pm end-time.

 

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicle - M. Lewisohn

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 9, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

A 2:30 to 8:00 pm session that brought completion to "Good Day Sunshine" with such overdubs as George Martin's honky-tonk piano solo. Six mono mixes concluded the evening, two hours ahead of the scheduled 10:00 pm end-time.

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 8, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road

The backing track for Paul McCartney's song Good Day Sunshine was recorded during a 12-hour session which began at 2.30pm.

Before it took place, however, Geoff Emerick made an edit of two mono mixes of And Your Bird Can Sing, numbered 9 and 10, which had been made on June 6, 1966. Emerick worked alone in the control room of Studio Two from 1-2pm.

Upon their arrival in the studio, The Beatles rehearsed Good Day Sunshine for some time before recording began. At this stage the song had the working title A Good Day's Sunshine.

They recorded three takes of the rhythm track, the first of which was chosen as the best. McCartney played piano and Ringo Starr was on drums. Onto track two of the four-track tape McCartney added lead vocals for the verses; track three featured John Lennon and McCartney's vocals in the chorus; and McCartney's bass guitar was overdubbed onto track four.

 Source: Beatles Bible

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 8, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

One of the quickest recordings on Revolver was Paul's "Good Day Sunshine" in that the released version was take one -although it had numerous overdubs and could in no way be compared with the truly-live one-take recordings of 1963 and 1964. Actually, the group recorded three takes of the rhythm track during this 2:30 pm to 2:30 am session but returned to the first to overdub Paul's lead and John and George's backing vocal. More overdubs would also be taped on June 9th. Work this day had begun when Geoff Emerick edited together wo of Monday's mono mixes of "And Your Bird Can Sing", done from 1:00 to 2:00 pm.

 

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicle - Mark Lewisohn

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 7, 1966 - 0 Comments

WABC All American Survey for Week of 7 June 1966

 

  1. Strangers In the Night - Frank Sinatra (Reprise)
  2. Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones (London)              
  3. Red Rubber Ball - The Cyrkle (Columbia)                     
  4. A Groovy Kind of Love - The Mindbenders (Fontana)           
  5. I Am a Rock - Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia)                  
  6. Cool Jerk - The Capitols (Karen)                            
  7. Paperback Writer - The Beatles (Capitol)                   
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
  8. When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge (Atlantic)          
  9. Younger Girl - The Critters (Kapp)                          
 10. Monday, Monday - The Mamas & the Papas (Dunhill)            
 11. Opus 17 - The 4 Seasons (Philips)                         
 12. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me -                          
                                    Dusty Springfield (Philips)
 13. Sweet Talkin' Guy - The Chiffons (Laurie)                  
 14. Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind? -                    
                               The Lovin' Spoonful (Kama Sutra) 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
 15. Green Grass - Gary Lewis & the Playboys (Liberty)          

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 7, 1966 - 0 Comments

WABC All American Survey for Week of 7 June 1966

 

 

  1. Strangers In the Night - Frank Sinatra (Reprise)
  2. Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones (London)              
  3. Red Rubber Ball - The Cyrkle (Columbia)                     
  4. A Groovy Kind of Love - The Mindbenders (Fontana)          
  5. I Am a Rock - Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia)                  
  6. Cool Jerk - The Capitols (Karen)                            
  7. Paperback Writer - The Beatles (Capitol)                  
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
  8. When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge (Atlantic)         
  9. Younger Girl - The Critters (Kapp)                          
 10. Monday, Monday - The Mamas & the Papas (Dunhill)          
 11. Opus 17 - The 4 Seasons (Philips)                          
 12. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me -                      
                                    Dusty Springfield (Philips) 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 6, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Three, EMI Studios, London

Tape copying and mono mixing of "And Your Bird Can Sing", "For No One", "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Tomorrow Never Knows", done from 7:00 to 12:00 pm, and one final vocal overdub by Paul onto "Eleanor Rigby", midnight to 1:30 am.

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 5, 1966 - 0 Comments

--On tape (Ed Sullivan Show) The Beatles perform "Rain" & "Paperback Writer" (segment begins with intro by the Beatles).

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 4, 1966 - 0 Comments

 

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 3, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

The final overdub onto what would be titled "I Want To Tell You" was of Paul's bass guitar. (Recording the bass separately onto a vacant track of the four-track tape allowed greater manipulation of its sound during mixing.) Four mono mixes of this song and five of "Yellow Submarine" concluded this 7:00 pm to 2:30 am session.

 

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicle - Mark Lewisohn

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 2, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

In securing an unprecedented three compositions on a 14 song Beatles album, George was having problems with his titles. What was in the end to become "Love You To", itself a title not mentioned in the lyric, had the working name "Granny Smith", after the brand of apple. Now, for the song "I Want To Tell You", the problem arose again. George Martin asked George Harrison for the title, the latter replied "I don't know" (because of which, it was actually called this for a brief time) and it was left to Geoff Emerick to dub the new son "Laxton's Superb", another type of British apple. Only later did it become "I Want To Tell You".

Apart from the production of a rough mono mix of "Yellow Submarine", all of this 7:00pm - 3:30 am session was spent recording "Laxton's Superb", taping the rhythm track in five takes, overdubbing onto the third of these and then making a reduction mixdown, called take four, to facilitate more overdubbing the next night.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 1, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

Having recorded the backing track on May 26, 1966, The Beatles and friends added sound effects and backing vocals for Yellow Submarine on this day.

Two tracks were remaining on the tape, and The Beatles raided the trap room at Abbey Road to find suitable instruments and effects. Onto the first the following sounds were added, in rough order of appearance:

  • John Lennon blowing bubbles into water using a straw
  • George Harrison swirling water in a metal bathtub
  • Two ships' bells being rung
  • A noisemaker being rattled
  • Low-level voices for a party atmosphere
  • An ocarina, played by The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones (heard during the third verse)
  • A propeller being wound and put into water
  • Coins being scattered
  • A foghorn
  • The final singalong

The fourth track contained similar effects, again in the order in which they appear:

  • Chains being rattled in the bathtub
  • Clinking glasses
  • More party chatter
  • A brass band
  • Lennon, recorded in the studio echo chamber, shouting naval phrases into a microphone connected to his Vox guitar amplifier
  • Whooshing sound effects
  • Lennon's "life of ease" vocals
  • A marching band drum played by Mal Evans

The brass band was made up of session musicians booked especially for the session, although their names remain unknown. The final chorus, meanwhile, was sung by anyone on hand in the studio, including Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall,  George Martin, Geoff Emerick, Pattie Harrison, Brian Jones, Marianne Faithfull and The Beatles' chauffeur Alf Bicknell.

Ringo Starr also recorded an unused introduction, a brief spoken word passage accompanied in part by the other Beatles:

...yellow submarine. And we will march till three the day to see them gathered there. From Land O'Groats to John O'Green, with Stepney do we tread. To see us yellow submarine. We love it.

The words were in reference to Land's End and John O'Groats, the southernmost and northernmost parts of the United Kingdom. Underneath the vocals was the sound of a box of coal being shaken, in an approximation of marching feet.

This spoken passage was left out of the Revolver mixes, but was included on the Real Love single in 1996. The new mix created for the single also brought many of the effects to the fore.

 

Source: The Beatles Bible

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 31, 1966 - 0 Comments

During a short break in the sessions for Revolver, Ringo Starr took part in a photoshoot for The Beatles Book magazine.

The session was conducted by Leslie Bryce, the staff photographer from the magazine. It took place at Sunny Heights, Starr's home in Weybridge.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 30, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles' unprecedented sonic experimentation on their 1966 album Revolver make it one rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest albums. But ironically, one of the album’s greatest innovations happened on a B-side that came out before the final album.

Backward guitar and sitar solos appear throughout Revolver, which is credited as the first popularized use of “backmasking”, the intentional recording of a track in reverse. But songs like “Love You To” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” were not the first songs the band recorded backward.

The real birth of the Beatles’ backmasking came in the form of John Lennon's reversed vocals during the outro of “Rain”, the B-side to lead single “Paperback Writer” that came out in the U.S. on May 30, 1966.

It was not the first time anyone had tried recording backwards – it had been available since the early days of Edison’s phonograph and avant-garde composers experimented with it as early as the 1950s. But the Beatles are universally credited with bringing the technique to the mainstream.

And, like so many other musical miracles, it happened by accident.

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 29, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles enjoying a small break.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 28, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles spend time with Bob Dylan in his room at the Mayfair Hotel in London.

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 27, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles were all fans of Bob Dylan, whom they had first met in August 1964. They met him again the following year, and once more on this day during his tour of the United Kingdom.

In 1965 Dylan divided audiences by moving from his folk roots and adopting electric instruments. On this tour he was backed by The Band, and on 26 and 27 May 1966 was scheduled to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The occasion was a fractious one, with audience members jeering and protesting at his new direction.

Dylan invited The Beatles to his shows, and John Lennon and George Harrison attended the second Royal Albert Hall show. Furthermore, all four Beatles spent time with Dylan in London nightclubs and at his hotel.

Following his 26 May concert, Dylan visited Kenwood, Lennon's home in Weybridge. The following day the pair were filmed being driven to the May Fair Hotel in Stratton Street, London, where Dylan was staying.

Present in the limousine was director DA Pennebaker, who had been hired to make a documentary on Dylan's UK tour, and sound operator Bobby Neuwirth. The footage, titled Eat The Document, was later shelved after the US TV network ABC, which had funded the shoot, rejected a rough cut.

Two 10-minute film reels were filled during the journey to London. Lennon and Dylan were evidently recovering from the after effects of drug taking, and both wore sunglasses and smoked cigarettes. In the first reel the pair discussed contemporary musical acts, including the Mamas and the Papas, Barry McGuire, The Silkie and Johnny Cash.

At the beginning of the second reel Dylan is seen complaining of illness, and is pictured leaning forward with his head in his hands. He tells the driver, Tom Keylock, to hurry to the hotel as he may be sick. Pennebaker later revealed that he and Lennon had to help Dylan to his hotel room upon their arrival.

In the final cut of Eat The Document, only a few minutes of the footage was included. The film was screened at the New York Academy of Music on 8 February 1971, and again in 1998, but has rarely been seen since.

An alternative edit, titled You Know Something Is Happening, was made by Pennebaker for private use. This contained more footage of the limousine encounter, but also remains unreleased. Footage from the journey has long circulated among bootleg collectors, however.

Following the evening concert, Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Aspinall and The Rolling Stones all visited Dolly's nightclub on Jermyn Street, London.

Source: Beatles Bible

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 26, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road

The backing track for Paul McCartney's children's song Yellow Submarine was recorded on this day, along with lead and backing vocals.

 George Martin was ill with food poisoning, so the session went ahead without a producer. Martin did, however, send his fiancée Judy Lockhart-Smith to the session; she remained mostly in the Studio Three control room.

The Beatles began the session, which started at 7am and finished at 1am the following morning, by filling two tape reels with rehearsals of the song. Most of these were later wiped, however.

Four takes of the rhythm track were then recorded onto two tracks of the tape. John Lennon used his Gibson Jumbo acoustic guitar, McCartney played bass guitar, George Harrison was on tambourine and Starr played drums.

The fourth track was judged to be the best, and onto this Starr overdubbed his lead vocals, joined by the others in the chorus. A fourth track was filled with additional vocals.

Source: Beatles Bible

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 25, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles - enjoying a short break

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 23, 1966 - 0 Comments

Paperback Writer was released.

Here is what Paul McCartney says about writing Paperback Writer:

“I arrived at [John Lennon’s house in] Weybridge and told John I had this idea of trying to write off to a publishers to become a paperback writer, and I said, ‘I think it should be written like a letter.’ I took a bit of paper out and I said it should be something like, ‘Dear Sir or Madam, as the case may be…’ and I proceeded to write it just like a letter in front of him, occasionally rhyming it … And then we went upstairs and put the melody to it. John and I sat down and finished it all up, but it was tilted towards me — the original idea was mine. I had no music, but it’s just a little bluesy song, not a lot of melody. Then I had the idea to do the harmonies, and we arranged that in the studio”.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 22, 1966 - 0 Comments

Monte Carlo

May 22, 1966 - George and Pattie at the opening day of the Monaco Grand Prix watching the Formula One races along the streets in Monte Carlo. British driver Jackie Stewart won the first Formula One race of the 1966 season.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 21, 1966 - 0 Comments

Portobello Road

May 21, 1966 - After an all night party Chrissie Shrimpton and Mick Jagger joined John & Cynthia Lennon on an early morning stroll down London’s trendy Portobello Road.

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 20, 1966 - 0 Comments

Following the previous day's shoot inside EMI Studios, The Beatles went on location at Chiswick House in London, to film promotional clips for their forthcoming single Paperback Writer/Rain.

As on the previous day, the director was Michael Lindsay-Hogg, working with a crew supplied by InterTel (VTR Services). Unlike the previous day, which was shot on video tape, this day's footage was captured on 35mm colour film.

Chiswick House is an 18th century house and gardens in west London. For the clip for Rain, The Beatles were filmed outside the gates and around a cedar tree, with the group performing as children played among the branches.

For Paperback Writer the group were filmed inside the conservatory, and miming to the song in the statue garden. Some of the conservatory footage was also used in the Rain clip, and extra shots of The Beatles walking in the grounds were later edited into both films.

Meanwhile back at EMI, working between 11:00 am and 12:30 pm, George Martin prepared the first set of stereo mixes and edits since sessions for Revolver began. Following the production of three monaural mixes for Capitol on May 12th, for its "Yesterday....and Today collection, Martin now made two sets of stereos of the same three songs ("And Your Bird Can Sing", Doctor Robert", and "I'm Only Sleeping").

The color clips were first shown in black-and-white on BBC 1's Top Of The Pops. Paperback Writer had its first screening on June 2, 1966, while Rain had its début on the show on June 9th.

In the evening John and Cynthia Lennon attended a party in London with Mick Jagger and Chrissie Shrimpton.

 

 

 

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: May 19, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio One, EMI Studios, Abbey Road

For the imminent release of the Paperback Writer/Rain single, The Beatles were unwilling to appear on television for promotion. Instead, they took part in a two-day shoot which resulted in a total of seven promotional films for the songs.

This first day's filming took place in Abbey Road's Studio One; the following day they went on location at Chiswick House, London.

The crew was supplied by InterTel (VTR Services), and the director was Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Video tape was used on this first day, while the following day's footage was shot on film.

At 10am a camera rehearsal took place. The first colour performance of Rain was filmed, after which The Beatles watched a playback to see the results. From 1.10-2pm they filmed a colour performance of Paperback Writer.

Both these colour clips were for the US market, and had their première on The Ed Sullivan Show on 5 June 1966, along with a greeting filmed by The Beatles on this day between 6.15pm and 6.30pm.

After lunch The Beatles recorded black-and-white footage for UK viewers, two for Paperback Writer and one for Rain, between 3.30pm and 6.15pm.

The first black-and-white clip of Paperback Writer had its television début on Saturday 25 June in Goodbye Lucky Stars, the final edition of the long-running music show Thank Your Lucky Stars.

The second black-and-white performance of Paperback Writer, along with the one of Rain, were first shown on Ready, Steady, Go! on Friday June 3rd, which was the first time the programme had broadcast footage not from its own studio.

Paul McCartney's song For No One was completed on this day, with the addition of a French horn overdub played by Alan Civil.

A reduction mix, created on May 16th, had freed up two spare tracks on the four-track tape. Bass guitar and tambourine was added onto the first of these, and the second featured two passages recorded by Civil.