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I WAS ALONE
I TOOK A RIDE
I DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT I WOULD FIND THERE
DISC ONE
A "REVOLVER"
SESSIONOGRAPHY
"REVOLVER"
Era Demos
1. He Said, He Said home tape (0:21)
2. He Said, He Said home tape (0:35)
3. He Said, He Said home tape (0:10)
4. He Said, He Said home tape (0:45)
5. She Said, She Said home tape (0:16)
6. She Said, She Said home tape (0:20)
7. She Said, She Said home tape (1:02)
John's composition tapes
were probably
recorded in
April or May of 1966
at his home,
the tudor mansion
Kenwood, in Surrey.
"REVOLVER"
Era Sessions
8. Tomorrow Never Knows take 1, RS'95 (3:13)
The first take of the first song
begun for the
Revolver LP.
Though take 3,
recorded at the same
April 6th session,
was the performance the
final version was based on,
this raw, hypnotic track,
released on the
Anthology 2 set,
is a formidable number
in its own right.
9. Got To Get You Into My Life
take 5, RM'95(a) (2:53)
10. Got To Get You Into My Life
partial take 5, RM'95(b) (0:21)
Two more
Anthology tracks,
the first from the
Anthology 2 CD
and the second from
the soundtrack to the
Anthology video.
This early, acoustic version
of the song is
markedly different from
the brassy final release.
11. Paperback Writer take 1 (1:01)
12. Paperback Writer take 2 (2:55)
The complete session tape,
since only two takes
of the backing tracks
were required,
and everything was layered
onto take 2,
which is here presented with
all final overdubs,
no echo,
and an
extended ending
with no fade.
13. And Your Bird Can Sing take 2 (2:13)
14. And Your Bird Can Sing SI onto take 2, RS'95 (2:12)
The version on the album
was a remake
of this track
recorded on
April 20th.
Track 13 was actually recreated by
digitally removing
the new vocals from
Track 14
(from Anthology 2),
which features an
obviously unusable
vocal overdub
by John and Paul.
15. Taxman take 11, RS'95
Yet another
Anthology 2 track,
this new mix
of an early version of
George's LP opener
features different
background vocal lyrics
and a complete ending,
rather than the
faded guitar solo
later edited
onto the track.
* 16. Eleanor Rigby
(Strings Only)
take 14, RS'95 (2:05)
George Martin's string arrangement
for Paul McCartney's ballad.
The eight musicians were recorded
two-per-track onto a
four-track tape,
which was given a
stereo remix for release on
Anthology 2,
making it a
Beatle release
with absolutely
No Beatles
playing on it.
17. I'm Only Sleeping (Rehearsal)
remake, RM'95 (0:39)
18. I'm Only Sleeping (Take 1)
remake, RM'95 (2:58)
Part of an intriguing
instrumental rehearsal
(with vibraphone, drums and guitar)
and the first of five takes
of the unused remake of
John's number,
featuring just acoustic guitar
and vocals.
Both tracks are from
Anthology 2.
19. For No One take 1, monitor mix (1:30)
20. For No One take 2, monitor mix (1:30)
21. For No One take 10, composite monitor mix (2:21)
22. For No One take 14, composite monitor mix (2:01)
A trip through the
"For No One" sessions,
beginning with the first two
of ten takes of
Paul and Ringo
tackling the rhythm tracks,
recorded May 9th.
On the 16th,
Paul added his vocal to
take 10,
and on the 19th
Alan Civil added his
horn part to take 14.
Tracks 21 and 22
are reconstructions of takes
10 and 14
created by editing
together segments
from the four
"monitor mixes"
included in their entirety
at the end of this disc
(Tracks 26-29).
Track 21,
the most complicated reconstruction,
involved about 20 such edits
and includes both
pre- and post-song chat.
Track 22
features a different take
of the May 19th horn overdub
than the one that was
eventually used,
and since each take erased
the previous attempt,
this version no longer exists
on the studio masters.
23. Yellow Submarine take 5, RS'95 (2:47)
An Anthology track
released on the
Real Love CD single,
this new mix
of the song restores
most of Ringo's
spoken intro and
features virtually all
the recorded sound effects
that were included
only here and there
in the original mixes.
24. Here, There And Everywhere edit of takes 7/14, RS'95 (2:22)
An Anthology mix
(also from the Real Love CD single)
of an early take of
Paul's song,
with the later
vocal backing mixed into
the end of the track.
25. Here, There And Everywhere take 14,
composite monitor mix (2:30)
Another track we've created by
using segments from the four available
"monitor mixes"
(see Tracks 30-33),
this one featuring some
pre-song chat and a complete
run-through of the finished track.
The Raw Monitor Mixes
26. For No One take 10, monitor mix (2:02)
27. For No One take 10, monitor mix (2:16)
28. For No One take 10, monitor mix (1:31)
29. For No One take 14, monitor mix (1:57)
30. Here, There And Everywhere take 14, monitor mix (2:29)
31. Here, There And Everywhere take 14, monitor mix (2:28)
32. Here, There And Everywhere take 14, monitor mix (2:02)
33. Here, There And Everywhere take 14, monitor mix (2:25)
Compiled here are the raw tracks
that were used to create
Tracks 21, 22 and 25.
These are what have become known as
"monitor mixes,"
tapes made by someone in
the studio control room
with a portable tape recorder
and microphone capturing
what's coming out of
the control room monitor speakers.
Usually these recordings
were made by
the Beatles themselves
as an easy reference copy
of a work-in-progress.
In this case,
whoever was running
the mixing board
frequently isolated
individual tracks
from the four-track
master - playing
only the lead vocal,
for instance - before returning
to a full mix of all the tracks.
It was these
"full mix" sections
that were sued to
piece together our
"composite monitor mixes."
DISC TWO
A "REVOLVER" MIXOGRAPHY
The mono "REVOLVER" album
It was with the Revolver sessions
that the Beatles started
personally overseeing the
final remixing of finished tracks,
but it was only the
mono remix sessions
they supervised,
leaving the stereo remixes to
George Martin and his staff.
Unless otherwise noted,
the lineup is lead guitar by
George Harrison,
rhythm guitar by
John Lennon,
bass guitar by
Paul McCartney
and drums by
Ringo Starr
RM5/6 (2:43)
George's composition was begun on
April 21st, 1966
with the recording of
takes 1-4,
rhythm tracks that were
not used because
the next day they
started all over again,
ignoring the previous day's work
and taping takes
1-11 of the rhythm tracks.
Onto take 11
were added
George's lead vocal
and lead guitar
and backing vocals
from Paul and John
(see Disc One, Track 15).
The next day a tape reduction
of take 11 produced take 12,
onto which they added
a cowbell and replaced the
"anybody got a bit of money"
vocals with the
"Mister Wilson, Mister Heath" bit.
The first mono remix, RM1,
was produced on
April 27th,
but the track needed
one or two final touches.
The count-in which opens
the album was added
to take 12
on May 16th,
after which they produced
four more unused
mono remixes,
RM2-5.
On June 21st
they produced
RM5 (the second)
and RM6,
which were edited together
to produce the final master
(as were RS1 and RS2, also produced this day).
The need for two separate mixes
to be edited together
probably is explained by
the decision at this point
to finish the track with
a faded guitar solo,
using a tape copy
of the guitar part f
rom the middle eight.
On the final mono mix,
RM5/6,
the guitar is louder
in the intro count-in,
while the cowbell starts earlier
in the second refrain,
as compared to RS1/2.
2. Eleanor Rigby take 15, RM5 (2:09)
On April 28th
George Martin conducted
eight musicians - a double string quartet
through takes 1-14
of his score for
Paul's song
(see Disc One, Track 16).
Musicians were
lead violin
Tony Gilbert;
violins
Sidney Sax,
John Sharpe
and
Jurgen Hess;
violas
Stephen Shingles
and
John Underwood
and cellos
Derek Simpson
and
Norman Jones.
At the end of
the session a tape
reduction of take 14
created take 15.
The following day,
in Studio #3,
Paul added his
double-tracked
lead vocal and
John and George
provided backup vocals;
then mono remixes
RM1-3 were produced.
But Paul wasn't satisfied,
and he added one
final vocal overdub
on June 6th.
Mixing was done on
June 22nd,
producing
RM4-5 and RS1.
In RS1,
the ADT is accidently
continued into
the beginning of
"Eleanor,"
in the first verse.
3. I'm Only Sleeping take 13, RM6 (3:04)
Work on John's song
began just before midnight
on April 27th,
when they recorded
takes 1-11
of the rhythm tracks
in Studio #3.
Two nights later
they were back at #3
for John to add
his lead vocal
(taped slow to be speeded up on playback).
Or so says
Lewisohn in his
Complete Beatles Chronicle.
But in the liner notes
for the Anthology versions
of the number
(see Disc One, Tracks 17-18),
he says that on
April 29th they
taped five takes
of an unused remake.
Whichever may be the case,
they returned to the song
(and Studio #3)
on May 5th,
when they spent
six hours recording
the two guitars
(one ordinary, one a fuzz guitar),
both playing the same parts
that would be inserted backward
in the final mix.
The next day,
in Studio #2,
they added backup vocals
by John, Paul and George.
Tape reductions of take 11
produced takes 12 and 13,
after which they
produced rough
mono remixes RM1-4.
On May 12th,
in order to get this
and two other tracks
off to
Capitol Records
for the
"Yesterday"...And Today album
(see Tracks 17-19 and 22-23),
they produced RM5.
Stereo mixing
came on
May 20th,
when they created RS1
(for the U.S.)
and RS2
(for the U.K.).
Finally,
on June 6th,
they produced
mono remixes RM5
(the second)
and RM6.
The four released mixes
RM5, RM6, RS1 and RS2
all have the backwards guitar
and solo guitar parts faded in
and out at different times.
This version,
RM6,
has a small amount of
backward guitar in
the second verse,
but the most of any
mix in the third verse.
RM5
has no backward guitar
in the second verse
and less than RM6
in the third verse,
while the guitar solo
continues over the words
"please don't"
and the final guitar starts
four beats later
than the other mixes.
RS1 has the
most backward guitar
in the second verse
but none in the third verse,
while the guitar solo
starts 2 bars later
but continues over the word
"please."
RS2 has less
backward guitar
than RS1
in the second verse,
but more than RM6,
and no backward guitar
in the third verse.
4. Love You To take 7, RM5 (3:11)
Recording of George's song
(known provisionally as "Granny Smith")
began on April 11th,
where they first recorded
takes 1-6.
Take 1 featured just
George singing and
playing acoustic guitar,
and Paul
singing backup.
George's sitar
first appeared on
take 3,
and then was added as
an overdub onto
take 6,
along with a tabla
(played by Anil Bhagwat),
bass and fuzz guitar.
A rough mono remix, RM1,
was produced from take 6.
On April 13th
a reduction mix
of take 6
produced take 7,
onto which they
overdubbed another
George vocal,
Ringo's tambourine
and some Paul harmonies
left out of the final version.
After the session they
produced RM1-3
(two with ADT, one without)
which were edited together
to create a master,
redundantly called RM3.
On May 16th
they made tape copies of
this RM3,
calling them
RM4-5.
The process
was repeated
in stereo on
June 21st,
when they produced
RS1-3,
which were
edited together
for the final
stereo master.
The mono mix has a
slightly longer final fade.
5. Here, There And Everywhere take 14, RM3 (2:26)
The song,
still one of Paul's favorites,
was begun on
June 14th with
four takes of the basic tracks.
Onto take 4
they added backup vocals by Paul,
John and George
(although there was no lead vocal).
Two days later they started again,
taping takes 5-13
(see Disc One, Track 24).
Onto take 13
went backup vocals
by John, Paul and George
and bass by Paul.
A tape reduction of take 13
produced take 14,
onto which was dubbed
Paul's lead vocal,
with the tape running slow,
to be speeded up on playback.
The next day they added
some more Paul vocals
and another guitar part,
then produced RM1
(see Disc One, Tracks 24 and 30-33).
Final mixing was done on
June 21st,
when they produced
RS1-2 and RM2-3.
At the end of the track,
when Paul sings
"You'll be there, and everywhere,"
in the mono mix
you can hear a
backup vocal
"I'll be there"
mistake that was
mixed out of
the stereo version.
6. Yellow Submarine take 5, RM5 (2:43)
May 26th saw the
beginning of the song
that would be
Ringo's vocal contribution
to the album.
Takes 1-4
were backing tracks
recorded in Studio #3,
with John playing
acoustic guitar,
Paul on bass
and George
playing tambourine.
Ringo's lead and
John's, Paul's
and George's
backup vocals
were added to take 4,
all recorded with
the tape running slow
so they'd sound speeded up
on playback.
Take 4 then received a
reduction mix down
to take 5.
On June 1st they
overdubbed the
various sound effects
and more used
throughout the track.
Studio staffers
John Skinner
and
Terry Condon
swirled chains around
in a metal bathtub
full of water.
John blew bubble
s in a bucket,
and various people
(including Rolling Stone Brian Jones)
employed various ship bells,
hand bells
and other items
from the
Abbey Road trap room.
The chorus included
Marianne Faithfull
and
Pattie Harrison.
The brass backing
was provided by
unknown musicians.
Ringo also recorded
a spoken intro,
with help from
the other three,
that was not released until
Anthology
(see Disc One, Track 23).
The next day,
June 2nd,
they produced
rough mono remix RM1,
while the following day
saw the creation of
five new mono remixes,
beginning with a new RM1.
Stereo mixing was done on
June 22nd,
when they produced RS1-2.
In the mono mix,
the guitar starts
right away,
but doesn't come in
until after the
"in the town"
lyric in stereo.
The stereo mix
contains more
splashing sounds
at the start of the
third verse
but less of
John's backup vocal
(no "life of ease").
7. She Said, She Said take 4, RM4 (2:40)
On June 21st
they produced
not only man
of the final LP mixes,
but also this last song
recorded for the album.
First they taped takes 1-3
of the rhythm tracks
(drums, bass and two guitars).
Onto take 3
was overdubbed J
ohn's lead vocal,
and backup vocals by
John and George.
A reduction mix
produced take 4,
onto which was
overdubbed some
more guitar and
John playing an
organ part.
RM1-3
were then produced,
but the next day
these were superseded by
RM4
(the same session also producing RS1).
8. Good Day Sunshine take 1, RM7 (2:13)
Three takes of the rhythm tracks
for Paul's song
(for now called "A Good Day's Sunshine")
were taped on
June 8th,
featuring just bass,
piano and drums.
Take 1 was called
"best,"
and onto it were
added Paul's lead
and John's and George's
backup vocals.
The next day
Ringo added some
more drums and
George Martin
provided the
honky-tonk piano solo
(with the tape running slow,
to be speeded up on playback).
John, Paul and George
then sang backup vocals,
and all four
provided handclaps.
They then produced RM1-6,
temporarily calling RM6
the "best."
The final day of LP mixing,
June 22nd,
saw the production of
RM7 and RS1.
The stereo mix is
missing the
bass drum at
the very end.
9. And Your Bird Can Sing edit of takes 10/6, RM9/10 (2:05)
On April 20th they taped
the first version of
John's song.
First came two takes of
the rhythm tracks
-guitars and drums.
Onto take 2 they
overdubbed three
Lennon vocals,
plus two backup vocals
from Paul and
one from George,
along with
bass and tambourine
(see Disc One, Tracks 13-14).
Remixes RM1-5
were produced at
the end of the session,
but then it was decided to
remake the number.
On April 26th they taped
takes 3-13.
While take 6
provided the lead
and bass guitar interplay
'at the very end of the song,
take 10 was called the
"best,"
and onto it were
overdubbed
John's lead vocal
and backup vocals
from Paul and George.
The next day they
created RM6.
On May 12th
RM7 and RM8
were produced from
takes 10 and 6,
then edited together
and sent off to Capitol
(see Track 18).
On May 20th
they similarly produced
RS1 and RS2
to edit together for
a final stereo master.
Then on June 6th
came RM9 and RM10,
used for the final
mono master edit.
The "Yesterday"...And Today mix,
RM7/8,
has louder handclaps
than RM9/10.
10. For No One take 14, RM8 (2:04)
On May 9th
they taped takes 1-10
of the rhythm tracks
(see Disc One, Tracks 19-20)
of Paul's beautiful song,
with the composer playing
piano and Ringo drumming.
Onto take 10
Paul then added
a clavichord
and Ringo played
cymbals and maracas.
On May 16th
Paul overdubbed his
lead vocal onto
take 10
(with the tape playing slow,
to be speeded up on playback)
(see Disc One, Tracks 21 and 26-28),
after which reduction mixes
produced takes 13 and 14,
skipping 11 and 12,
for some reason.
On the 19th
Alan Civil played
his horn part onto
take 14
(see Disc One, Tracks 22 and 29),
each take wiping out
his previous attempt.
On June 6th they produced
RM1-6.
Stereo mixing and
final mono mixing
was done on June 21st,
producing
RM7-8 and RS1.
11. Doctor Robert take 7, RM6 (2:17)
April 17th saw the beginning of work on John's song, with the taping of takes 1-7 of the rhythm tracks. Onto take 7 they overdubbed George playing maracas, John on harmonium, and piano by Paul. Vocals were added on April 19th, after which they produced RM1-3. A "Yesterday"...And Today remix, RM4, was produced on May 12th. Stereo remixing on May 20th produced RS1 (for the U.S.) and RS2 (for the U.K.), while final mono remixing on June 21st produced RM4-6. The British mono mix, RM6, has the vocals mixed louder than the American mono mix, RM4, while the U.S. version has someone, probably John, saying "Okay, Herb" at the end of the fade.
12. I Want To Tell You take 4, RM1 (2:31)
Originally dubbed
"Laxton's Superb"
by engineer
Geoff Emerick,
George's song was
begun on June 2nd.
First they recorded five takes
of the rhythm tracks,
with piano,
drums and guitars.
Deciding take 3
was the "best,"
onto it was added
lead vocals by
George, with backups
by John and Paul;
along with tambourine,
maracas and more piano.
Take 3
then went through a
tape reduction to
produce take 4
(the second),
onto which they
added handclaps.
The next day
Paul's bass track
finished off the song,
and they produced
RM1-4,
calling the first one the
"best."
On June 21st
they produced
RS1-2.
13. Got To Get You Into My Life take 9, RM8 (2:40)
On April 7th
they taped takes 1-5
of the rhythm tracks,
with George Martin
joining them on organ.
Onto take 5
they added lead vocals
by Paul and backups by
John and George
(see Disc One, Tracks 9-10).
The next day they started again,
recording rhythm
track takes 6-8.
On April 11th they
overdubbed guitar
onto take 8.
The song then sat
until May 18th,
when it received vocal
and brass overdubs.
The brass section consisted of
Eddie Thornton
(Super-olds trumpet),
Peter Coe
and
Alan Branscombe
(tenor sax),
and
Ian Hamer
and
Les Condon
(trumpet).
A tape reduction of take 8
produced takes 9-11,
eliminating the
previously recorded vocals
in the process.
Onto take 9
went new lead vocals
by Paul,
new backup vocals by
John and George, a
nd some more guitars.
RM1-2
were produced at the end
of the session.
One more guitar passage
was added on
June 17th,
after which they produced
RM3-7.
But RM7 still wasn't
quite there,
and on
June 20th
they combined it with a
slightly-out-of-sync tape copy
of the brass overdub to
produce RM8.
On June 22nd they made RS1.
The final mono mix
features a
longer fade than RS1,
which is also missing
the additional brass track
added to RM8.
Both mixes have different
overdubs of the vocal
"every single day of my life"
at the final fade.
14. Tomorrow Never Knows take 3, RM8 (3:03)
The last song on the album
was the first one begun.
In Studio #3
on April 6th
they taped takes 1-3.
Take 1 was a complete performance
(see Disc One, Track 8),
while takes 2-3
were rhythm tracks.
The next day, still at #3,
saw overdubs onto take 3,
including John's lead vocal
sent through a Leslie speaker
in a Hammond organ.
Also added this day were
the five tape loops,
with various studio personnel
using pencils to
spool the loops
onto tape players
that fed into the
main console where
Geoff Emerick
manned the faders
that fed it onto
the four-track master.
Among the loops were a
distorted guitar that
sounded like seagulls,
a speeded up guitar
and a wine glass.
Finally on
April 22nd they
added George's sitar part
and another
Lennon vocal.
On April 27th
they produced RM1-9,
calling RM8 the
"best."
On June 6th
they produced
RM10-12,
and RM11
(see Track 20)
was called the new
"best,"
only being replaced by
the original
"best" RM8
on the day the LP
master was cut.
Stereo remixes RS1-6
were produced on
June 22nd,
the last day of work
on the LP.
On the final mono master
the tape loop track
starts at full volume,
while it fades in
on the stereo master,
which features a
feedback whistle
in the second vocal section
(over "love is all and love is everyone")
not heard on
the mono mix.
The mono
"REVOLVER"
Era single
15. Paperback Writer take 2, RM2 (2:26)
Their next A-side
was recorded in two days
in Studio #3
(see Disc One, Tracks 11-12).
First recorded, on
April 13th,
were two takes of
the rhythm tracks,
with the second being
the keeper.
Onto take 2 were
overdubbed Paul's lead
and John's and
George's backup vocals
(which include "Frere Jacques").
At the end of the
April 14th session
they produced RM1 and RM2.
Stereo mixing,
which produced RS1-3,
didn't occur until
October 31st, 1966,
when a stereo remix
was needed for the
Collection of Beatles Oldies LP
(see also Track 23).
The mono mix has
louder drums
and more echo,
and includes Ringo's
drumsticks tapping the time
during the
"paperback writer"
vocal breaks.
16. Rain take 7, RM3 (3:00)
In Studio #3
on April 14th,
after finishing up the
A-side, they began work
on the B-side of
their next single.
First they recorded
takes 1-5 of the
rhythm tracks,
playing especially fast
so the tape could be
slowed down when
they added overdubs,
which on this day meant
John's lead vocal,
with the tape playing
even slower so he'd
sound speeded up
on playback.
The next day,
in Studio #2,
they added more vocals,
bass and tambourine,
in the process producing
take 6 from a reduction mix
of take 5.
Overdubs onto take 6
produced takes 7 and 8,
but 7 proved to be
"best."
At some point during
this process
George Martin
came up with the idea of
taking a piece of John's vocal
and inserting it backwards
at the end of the track.
Following the session they
produced RM1-4,
using lots of ADT,
and settled on RM3.
Stereo mixing
waited until
December 2nd, 1969,
when they produced
RS1 for the
Hey Jude LP.
Rare
"REVOLVER" Era
mono mixes
17. I'm Only Sleeping take 13, RM5 (2:59)
18. And Your Bird Can Sing edit of takes 10/6, RM7/8 (2:00)
19. Doctor Robert take 7, RM4 (2:15)
When Capitol asked if they might have three new tracks to fill out their "Yesterday"...And Today set, it was agreed to send them these songs, which thus received a quick mono remixing on May 12th (see also Tracks 21-22). All three were later remixed for the mono British release of Revolver.
20. Tomorrow Never Knows take 3, RM11 (3:01)
This odd variant mix
is most likely the
"almost final"
mono remix
of the track that was
scrapped in favor of
the earlier RM8
on the very day
the LP was
being mastered.
Rare
"REVOLVER" Era
stereo mixes
21. I'm Only Sleeping take 13, RS1 (2:58)
22. Doctor Robert take 7, RS1 (2:12)
Stereo mixes for
"Yesterday"...And Today
were produced eight days after
the May 12th session
the produced the
mono versions
(Tracks 17-19).
Because of the editing involved in
producing the
"And Your Bird Can Sing" master,
a separate stereo mix
was not produced for
the American release.
23. Paperback Writer take 2, RS? (2:17)
This alternate stereo mix
(see Track 15)
was released on the
Hey Jude
and
1962-1966 LPs.
It features louder backing vocals,
and has the stereo channels
reversed as compared to
the version on
Paster Masters Volume Two.
The 1982
John Barrett remixes
24. Paperback Writer take 2, RS'82 (2:16)
25. Rain take 7, RS'82 (2:50)
These unique stereo remixes
were produced by
the ailing engineer
John Barrett
for the multimedia show
used during the summer '83
Abbey Road Studios Tour.
ADT = Artificial Double-Tracking:
copying a vocal to
a second track,
but doing it slightly
out of sync so that
it sounds like
a second vocal.
Monitor mix = microphone recording
from control room speakers.
Reduction mix = mixing a four-track tape
down to one or two tracks,
thus freeing up room
for more overdubbing.
RM2 = official mono remix #2.
RS'95 = 1995 stereo remix,
official mix number unknown.
SI = Super Imposition,
an overdub added to
an existing take.
* - George Martin's
string arrangement
NO BEATLES
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