My Head Is Filled With Things To Say

The next song on the fantastic Parlophone UK LP is an original George Harrison composition (the third such tune on the LP) entitled "I Want To Tell You". A very cool fade in and fade out of the song which is the same effect used previously on "Eight Days A Week" and the tune also features a very off-key E with an F middle during the verses. The song went through a number of different titles during the recording process. At first...George Harrison had no title for the song and the engineer for the sessions (Geoff Emerick) decided to entitled the work in progress "Laxton's Superb" after a type of British Apple. This followed the previous composition where "Love You To" was briefly entitled "Granny Smith" which was also a type of British Apple. Anyway, the song was called "Laxton's Superb" for a couple of session then the title was switched to "I Don't Know" which was an answer that was previously given by George when asked for a proper title. Finally, during a tape copy session (see below) the tune was given it's final name : "I Want To Tell You".

The recording of "I Want To Tell You" was completed fairly quickly. The first session was on Thursday June 02 1966 at EMI studio two. Five takes were recorded of the rhythm track and George had decided that the third attempt (take three) was the keeper. The rhythm track instruments included piano, guitar and drums. Harrison overdubbed his lead vocal with John and Paul overdubbing the backing vocals. All vocals overdubbed onto take three. Percussion in the form of maracas and tambourine and a bit of piano were also added. Once this was completed, a tape reduction of the four tracks into two made it into take four. Onto this handclaps were added to the song by the group. The next day on Friday June 03 1966 at EMI studio two the bass guitar played by Paul was overdubbed onto the song. This would be the norm during 1967 for the Beatles: the bass guitar would start to be more and more prominent on the songs and usually a channel was usually left open for the bass overdub as the recordings went along.

Once the bass was overdubbed, four mono mixes were completed from EMI studio two and on Friday June 03 1966. Three evenings later on Monday June 06 1966, "I Want to Tell You" was subjected to tape copying from the control room of EMI studio three. The purpose for the tape copying remains a mystery to me. Finally, On Tuesday June 21 1966 and from the control room of EMI studio three, "I Want To Tell You" was mixed for stereo. Two remixes were required.

"I Want To Tell You" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American Capitol LP version of "Revolver".

A live version of "I Want To Tell You" from the early 1990s performed by George Harrison with Eric Clapton and his band can be found on the Dark Horse/Warner Bros. Double LP/2-CD: "Live In Japan". It is the opening song.

Well, Well, Well...You're Feeling Fine.

The next song on the great Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" is an original composition by Lennon/McCartney and written mainly by John entitled "Dr. Robert". This tune was inspired by a real-life doctor living in New York City at the time in the mid 60s. This fellow; Doctor Charles Roberts - used to have famous clients that would visit the good doctor while he prescribed uppers and various ellicit drugs. "Dr. Robert" is a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic "recommendation" from the Beatles to the listening audience. The middle eight was reportedly suggested by Paul.

The basic track (actually, the instrumental part of the song) was recorded on Sunday April 17 1966 at EMI studio two. The basic track consisted of guitars, bass and drums - the usual line-up - and it took seven takes to perfect. Once this was completed, maracas was added by George (you would have thought Ringo), harmonium (John) and piano (Paul) were overdubbed onto the basic track and the song was left for the day.

Two days later on Tuesday April 19 1966 the vocals for "Dr. Robert" were completed and three mono mixes were attempted. None of the mono mixes from this day were used for any commercial purposes.

On Thursday May 12 1966, a mono mix of "Dr. Robert" was completed for the North American market and shipped over to Hollywood and Capitol Records ready for released. On this particular day the song was edited (from 2:56 to 2:13) and the mix was deemed satisfactory. All of this happening from the control room of EMI studio three. The North American mono mix is longer in length than the UK mono mix as the ending of the song contains a short quote from John Lennon listed as "OK, Herb". The UK mix does not have this quote. The "OK, Herb" version can be heard on the mono version of the North American Capitol LP "Yesterday...And Today" (T 2553).

Two stereo mixes of "Dr. Robert" were attempted on Friday May 20 1966 from the control room of EMI studio one. Of the two stereo mixes, the first stereo mix was sent to Capitol Records and used on "Yesterday...And Today" while the second stereo mix was kept in the UK and eventually used on the UK version of the "Revolver" LP. There are ever slight differences in the two mixes but nothing outstanding.

Finally, on Tuesday June 21 1966 from the control room of EMI studio three, there were three mono mixes attempted for "Dr. Robert" which (the final mix) ended up on the UK version of the "Revolver" LP.

"Dr. Robert" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American Capitol LP "Yesterday...And Today".

There is an odd discrepancy regarding the label print for this song: I've noticed on my mono copy of the Parlophone UK original "Revolver" pressing (PMC 7009), the tune is listed on the label as "Dr. Robert" yet on my stereo copy of the Parlophone UK original "Revolver" pressing (PCS 7009) the tune is listed on the label as "Doctor Robert". The back covers of all UK pressings list the song as "Dr. Robert". I also checked my Canadian and US original firsts pressings in mono and stereo (Capitol T2553 for mono and Capitol ST2553 for stereo) while discovering that all pressing have the tune listed on the label and back covers as "Dr. Robert".

And In Her Eyes, You See Nothing.

The next song on the fabulous Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" is probably one of my favourites. It is an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by Paul entitled "For No One". This is a baroque style love song that describes a lost love and the sadness and observation of the breaking down of a relationship. A very beautiful melody and very simple. This song features only two Beatles playing instruments on the track ( a very rare occurrence during this time period and a sign of things to come). Only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are featured on the recording of this tune. The musical sense and play on the bass notes of the keyboards as well as the overall melody and song structure are one of Paul's best. It isn't too bad lyrically either. The song was written by Paul as he was on holiday with his then-girlfriend Jane Asher in late March 1966 during a skiing holiday in Switzerland.

"For No One" was first recorded on Monday May 09 1966 at EMI studio two. The rhythm track consisted of Paul on the piano and Ringo on drums. It took ten takes to perfect. Once this was complete, the overdub of a clavichord (by Paul) and percussion (by Ringo) were added to the existing basic track.

A week later on Monday May 16 1966 once again in EMI studio two, the vocals for the tune were added onto the recording. This filled up the four track and a tape reduction was completed by taking take 10 and the reduction being called takes 13 and 14 - there were no 11 and 12 for some unknown reason. The tape was slowed down during the vocal overdub so that when it was played back, Paul's voice was heard slightly faster than it usually would have been.

Finally on Thursday May 19 1966 from EMI studio three came the very last overdubs: a french horn solo, Paul's bass and Ringo's tambourine. The solo was played by Alan Civil who was a member of the London Philharmonia.

On Monday June 06 1966 from the control room of EMI studio three six attempts at a mono mix were attempted from take 14 but none were used. On Tuesday June 21 1955 "For No One" was mixed in both mono and stereo from the control room of EMI studio three. There were two mono remixes (7 and 8 from take 14) and one stereo mix ( 1 also from take 14) that were deemed satisfactory for release.

"For No One" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American Capitol version of the LP "Revolver". The song can also be found on the EMI/Capitol compilation 2-LP "Love Songs" as well as the EMI/Capitol of Canada release of the LP "The Beatles Ballads".

You Tell Me That You've Got Everything You Want.

The next song on the Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" set is an original Lennon/McCartney composition mainly written by John entitled "And Your Bird Can Sing". This great Lennon tune features very obscure lyrics with a catchy guitar riff added.

"And Your Bird Can Sing" was started on Wednesday April 20 1966 at EMI studio two. There were two takes of the basic track which consisted of guitars and drums. Once this was completed, the bass by Paul , a tambourine and a lead vocal by John were added to the basic track. Once this was completed, another vocal by John and backing vocals from Paul and George were added to the song. More overdubbing followed with two guitars (played by Paul and George) for the intro to the song and the end of the tune. Finally, another John and Paul vocal was attempted but both singers were laughing and giggling making it difficult to complete some of the vocal sentences. Five mono mixes were conducted for the song but none were ever released in this form. The recording at this point was never released until 1996 with a version of the song - mixed in stereo - on the Apple/EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 2". Some people would simply "OOPS" the song (out of phase) in order to eliminate the "giggling" vocals and you would be able to hear the recording as it probably would have sounded if this version had been released. Some bootlegs have this version available.

"And Your Bird Can Sing" was re-made six days later on Tuesday April 26 1966 at EMI studio two. This time the song was a little faster, heavier and cleaner. It was also recorded in a different key - the first attempt six days earlier was recorded in the key of D and the recording on this day was stepped up to the key of E. The rhythm track was recorded first and consisted of guitar, bass and drums. This was completed in 10 takes (takes 3 to 13). Of the 10 takes, the actual "take 10" was deemed the best and vocals were added to this basic track. Tambourine, handclaps as well as the guitar intro and ending played on two guitars by Paul and George completed the recording of the song.

The very first mono mix of the above commercial release was conducted the next day on Wednesday April 27 1966 from the control room of EMI studio three. This particular mix was called mix 6 and was taken from take 10 of the previous day's recording. This mix was never released.

The next series of mono mixes took place on Tuesday May 12 1966 again from the control room of EMI studio three. Two more mono mixes (7 and 8) were completed on this day and these mixes were taken not just from take 10, but edited so that most of the song is take 10 but the ending is take 06 (which included the repeating bass notes which The Beatles liked). The mono mix made on this day was sent to Capitol records in the United states who used the mix for the LP "Yesterday...And Today" on which "And Your Bird Can Sing" was featured. Next, a stereo mix was created for the song a few days later on May 30 1966 from the control room of EMI studio one. This stereo mix appeared on the UK release of "Revolver" as well as the North American release of "Yesterday...And Today". Finally, the song was once again mixed for mono on Monday June 06 1966 from the control room of EMI studio three. These mono mixes were number 9 and 10 and once again used the same edited takes of 10 and 6. This mono version ended up being released on the Parlophone UK LP "Revolver". For all of the different mixes, there is really no distinctive differences on the commercial releases. It should be noted, though, that initial stereo pressings of the US/Canada Capitol LP "Yesterday...And Today" (ST 2553) contain fake stereo mixes of "And Your Bird Can Sing" with the EQ containing the highs on one speaker and the lows on the other speaker. It would not be until the Capitol record club releases (1969) that "And Your Bird Can Sing" started to appear on this LP in true stereo.

"And Your Bird Can Sing" appears on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American Capitol LP "Yesterday...And Today".

She Knows She's Looking Fine

The next song on the fantastic Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" is the first song on the second side of the LP or the eighth song on the CD version. It's an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by Paul entitled "Good Day Sunshine". The tune was inspired by the Lovin' Spoonful style of music and this particular song featured the piano work of the main composer.

The song was recorded under the working title "A Good Day's Sunshine" on Wednesday June 08 1966 at EMI studio two. After some rehearsal, three proper rhythm tracks attempts were made and the first of these (take 1) was used as the basic track of the commercial release. Once the rhythm track was completed, McCartney's lead vocal and back up vocals from John and George were recorded over the existing basic track.

The next day on June 09 1966 and once again in EMI studio two the task at this recording session was to record overdubs in order to complete the song. These included the honky-tonk type solo that was played in the break. The song was slowed down while the piano was played which made it sould a little faster on play back. The solo honky-tonk piano was played by George Martin. Ringo added some cymbal work for the song as well as some extra snare drum for the coda and the fade out. Finally, handclaps were added to the recording by the band and the end vocals were added (including contributions from Paul, John and George). At the end of the session, six mono mixes were attempted with one of the mixes made especially for the ending while the rest of the mixes were attempted for the whole song. None of these mixes were used for the commercial release.

"Good Day Sunshine" was mixed for both mono and stereo on Wednesday June 22 1966 from the control room of EMI studio three. The difference between the mono and stereo mix is mainly at the end of the song before it start to fade out. On the stereo mix, the rhythm section is faded out prematurely while on the mono mix it is faded out smoothly with the rotating vocals. Therefore you hear more drums on the mono mix.

"Good Day Sunshine" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as on the North American version of the Capitol LP "Revolver". Another great deep track.

I personally witnessed a live performance of "Good Day Sunshine" performed by Paul McCartney at the Montreal Forum on December 09 1989 and it is available on the EMI 12 inch single/CD single "Birthday".

You're Making Me Feel Like I've Never Been Born.

The final song on side one of the Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" (or track 7 of the CD version) is another Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by John entitled "She Said She Said". The song was inspired by a conversation between Lennon and actor Peter Fonda during an LSD trip that ended up with Fonda expressing to Lennon: "I know what it's like to be dead". This took place in August 1965 while the Beatles were in Los Angeles. Lennon incorpated the line in his songs and demos of the tune were available on the radio show: "The Lost Lennon Tapes". At the time of the demos, the song titled was announced at "He Said He Said".

The proper recording of this song took place on Tuesday June 21 1966 at EMI studio two. "She Said She Said" was completed in this single session. The song was untitled at the beginning of the recording which consisted of the rythm track being completed in three takes. The instrumentation consisted of drums, bass and guitars. Once the backing track was finished, Paul McCartney left the session and the vocals were handled by John for the lead and an overdub of John and George for the backing vocals. Take three became take four after a reduction of the four tracks into three and some organ and electric guitar were overdubbed onto the existing take and thereby finishing the recording.

On the same day as the recording session (June 21 1966), three mono mixes were attempted for "She Said She Said" although none of these mixes were ever commercially released. The next day on Wednesday June 22 1966 another mono mix was produced (mono mix number four) and this mix was used on the commercial release. At the same session, the stereo mix was also completed.

"She Said She Said" can be found on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American Capitol version of the LP "Revolver". A great deep track.

And The Band Begins To Play

The next song on the great Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" is an original composition written by Lennon/McCartney (mainly by Paul for the chorus and John for the verses although Donovan is said to have helped with the lyrics) and sang by Ringo as a vehicle for him on this particular LP. The name of the tune is "Yellow Submarine". This song was also released worldwide as a single with "Eleanor Rigby". The double-sided single is available in the UK as Parlophone R 5493 and in North America (US and Canada) as Capitol 5715. "Yellow Submarine" was though upon by Paul McCartney one night as he was drifting off to sleep (according to an interview on the Anthology series). "Yellow Submarine" was not only an LP track and a single, but was also the name of the Beatles' third United Artists' full feature length film.

This child-like pop song was first recorded at EMI studio three on Thursday May 26 1966 with four attempted takes of the rhythm track including an acoustic guitar, bass, drums and tambourine. Take four (the last take) was kept and Ringo's lead vocal was overdubbed onto that as well as the whole band singing along on the choruses. This filled up all four tracks and a tape reduction was completed making it take five.

The next recording session for "Yellow Submarine" took place on Wednesday June 01 1966 at EMI studio two this time. The purpose of this session was to overdub all of the sound effects and tricks used throughout the tune. These effects included the blowing bubbles, John Lennon's responses to Ringo's thrid verse vocals, Mal Evans playing a huge bass drum, the sound of a propellor, a foghorn, chains being swished around in the tub, clinking glasses, the sound of talking during a party, a shaker as well as the short blast of a brass band playing (which is interesting because this was all done at one session and the brass band was never credited nor is there any research that states what their names were - that section must have been very,very quickly recorded {possibly in one take} as I can imagine having the musicians run in, record and exit). The fade out chorus features all four Beatles and some friends such as Mal Evans, Pattie Harrison, Brian Jones, the pretty Marianne Faithful and a host of studio staff. Also recorded at this June 01 1966 session was an elaborate edit piece of Ringo introducing the song by reciting spoken words "And we will march to see the day....". Behind Ringo's introduction is the sound of marching feet. The introduction section was never used on the song up until the mid 90s when the whole tune was remixed and all of the work done on the song up to that time is featured on the Apple/EMI EP/CD "Real Love" (including the intro).

The first attempt at a mono mix was conducted at EMI studio two on Thursday June 02 1966. This attempt was ultimately never used. The next day on Friday June 03 1966 from the control room of EMI studiot two, five mono remixes of "Yellow Submarine" were conducted and it is at this point that the decision to drop the intro section of the song was made. Two stereo mixes were conducted on Wednesday June 22 1966 from the control room of EMI studio three. The difference between the mono and stereo mix includes a strum of the acoustic guitar on Ringo's first word of the verse (mono) whereby the stereo mix does not have the first strum. Also, when John Lennon is responding to Ringo's vocals on the last verse - the line "life of ease" is present on the mono mix but not available on the stereo mix. Finally, the mix used for the 1999 Apple/EMI LP/CD "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" is a latter day mix that uses the original take four basic tracks with the take five overdubs.

"Yellow Submarine" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American Capitol LP/CD version of "Revolver". The song was also released as a double sided single (see first paragraph above). "Yellow Submarine" is also featured on the Parlophone LP greatest hits collection "A Collection of Beatles' Oldies" and is the title track on the Apple LP/CD "Yellow Submarine" as well as the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1962-1966". It can also be found on the Parlophone/EMI/Capitol compilation LP "Reel Music" and the Parlophone UK LP version of "20 Greatest Hits" and appears on the Apple EP/CD "Real Love"(with original intro) and the Apple/EMI LP/CD "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" as well as the Apple/EMI 2-LP/CD "1".

"Yellow Submarine" has been performed over the years by various installements of Ringo Starr and his All-Starr band.

Each One Believing

The next song on the fantastic Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" is an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by Paul entitled "Here, There and Everywhere". This tender love song features very nice three part harmony backing vocals and very soft drums (probably played with brushes by Ringo). A very classy tune and well written and at various times this song has been cited as one of McCartney's favourite (with good reason). A true highlight of the LP. Supposedly, "Here, There and Everywhere" was inspired by the Beach Boys' recording "God Only Knows" from the "Pet Sounds" sessions.

The first four takes of "Here, There and Everywhere" commenced on Tuesday June 14 1966 at EMI studio two. The four takes consisted of mainly the basic track but there were vocals added onto take four. Two days later, on Thursday June 16 1966, The Beatles decided to start the song once again from scratch and nine more takes were recording (takes 5 to 13). The overdubs on the song also recorded this day include the bass guitar, the soft drums, finger snaps and the gorgeous John Paul and George backing vocals. There was a tape reduction made after the overdubs as all four tracks of the tape machine were filled. This created take 14. Finally, the next day on Friday June 17 1966 also from EMI studio two, overdubs included a double tracked McCartney vocal (at one point he harmonizes with himself) and a bit of electric guitar.

"Here, There and Everywhere" got it's first mono mix on the same day as the completion of the recording on June 17 1966 from studio two. The song was mixed for mono again on June 21 1966 from the control room of studio three with two attempts at the mono mix - one appearing on the LP. There were also two stereo mixes attempted from the same date and location and one of them appearing on the stereo version of the LP.

"Here, There and Everywhere" appears on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American Capitol LP version of "Revolver". The song is also featured on the EMI/Capitol compilation 2-LP "Love Songs" as well as the EMI UK and Capitol of Canada LP "The Beatles Ballads". An outtake of the song with the basic track and Paul's guide vocal from take 07 (with the background vocals from take 13 "flown in") can be found on the Apple/EMI EP/CD "Real Love".

Paul McCartney performed an acoustic version of "Here, There and Everywhere" on the television show MTV Unplugged which was released on LP and CD in 1991 with the title "Unplugged:The Official Bootleg".

There's People Standing Round Who Screw You In The Ground

The next song on the wonderful Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" is an original composition by George Harrison entitled "Love You To". Yes, that's right. You've read it the way it was written - not quite a grammer grabber, but nonetheless, very effective. This Indian sounding tune was inspired by what George was having with his influence via India and studying with the great master Ravi Shankar. This raga rock type tune was very original and included not just Indian instruments, but a great guitar part brought out in the mix of the "Yellow Submarine Songtrack". Give it a listen and experience pure fuzz guitar bliss !!

The song was first attempted at EMI studio two on Monday April 11 1966. The song at the time had a working title of "Granny Smith" named after the apple (ironic that the Granny Smith apple would be featured on all Apple records labels). The basic track at this session featured the composer with acoustic guitar, Paul on backing vocals and sitar, tabla, bass and the fuzz guitar. The tabla was played by a gentleman named Anil Bhagwar and he actually got a credit on the back cover of the LP !! There were six takes of the song recorded on this day and a mono mix was made for George to take away as a vinyl acetate. Two days later on April 13, 1966 the working title for the song remained "Granny Smith" and there were overdubs added onto the basic track including the lead vocals doubled up and some tambourine from Ringo. Paul added a high harmony that was never used on any mixes from this point on. Three mono mixes of "Granny Smith" were completed and edited on this day in studio three.

On Monday May 16, some tape coyping of the three various edit pieces used to make up the mono mix were completed thereby making the mono mix "remix 5". This mish-mash was used as the final mono mix. The tape copying and mix were completed at EMI studio two. The stereo mix was conducted on Tuesday June 21 1966 from the control room of studio three. In fact, at this point the tune was still named "Granny Smith". Both the editing and three stereo mix attempts were conducted at this session. The mono mix tends to be a little longer during the fade out than the stereo mix. Between this stereo mix and the LPs release, the song title was named to the familiar "Love You To".

This "deep track" was released on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American Capitol version of the LP "Revolver. There is also a remixed version available on the EMI/Apple LP-CD "Yellow Submarine Songtrack".

Everybody Seems To Think I'm Lazy

The next great tune from the great Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" is an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by John entitled "I'm Only Sleeping". A pretty melody with a stop-and-go feel to the song. This song also features a very,very cool guitar solo and inserts recorded forward by George and worked out to fit the tune as the recording tape is played backwards.

The first attempt at a backing track for the Lennon song was conducted on Wednesday April 27 1966 at EMI studio three. Two acoustics, bass and drums were recorded and it took eleven takes to perfect. Once this was completed, the song was left "as is".

Two days later on April 29 1966, the Beatles were once again in studio three and decided to try a re-make of "I'm Only Sleeping". During the rehearsal of the song, different instrumentation was used including vibes and it was recorded although not "taked". A few minutes of the rehearsal version can be heard on the Apple/EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 2". After rehearsal, it was decided to remake the backing and five takes (only one complete) were attempted with Lennon singing along. The complete take (the first of the five) is also heard on the Apple/EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 2".

After listening to the original backing track and listening to the recent backing track, the Beatles decided to go to the original backing track recorded on April 27 and John Lennon added vocals to this backing track (take 11) on April 29. The backing track was recorded with the tape playing at a fast speed so that the commercial backing track plays back slower on playback. The vocals were recorded at a slower speed making Lennon's voice sound slightly faster on playback. Experimentation for tape speed would continue throughout the Beatles psychedelic phase.

On Thursday May 05 1966, the backwards guitar was added by George Harrison. It was decided that the guitar would be read with notation forwards, but writing it out backwards so that it would come out back to front and the sound would remain the same. It was a very difficult thing to do but they somehow managed and the guitar work is excellent throughout the song. The backwards guitar session was also held at EMI studio three.

Finally, the next day (May 06 1966), a tape reduction of tracks was completed and John Lennon double tracked some lead vocals, while Paul and George overdubbed background vocals. There were four mono remixes done for the "I'm Only Sleeping" at this session as well. All was done at EMI studio two. None of these mono mixes were used.

The first true mono mix was done on Thursday May 12 1966 from the control room of EMI studio three. This mono mix was completed especially for the North American market and can be heard on original mono copies of the Capitol LP "Yesterday...and Today". The first press copies of the stereo LP also contains this mix in fake stereo. It can be assessed by noting that the backwards guitar is faded up three times compared to four times on other mixes with one exception.

On Friday May 20 1966 from the control room of EMI studio one, two stereo remixes of "I'm Only Sleeping" were completed. The first stereo remix was sent to Capitol records where it was included on later copies of the "Yesterday...And Today" LP while the second remix was included on the Parlophone version of the "Revolver" LP. Both stereo mixes have the backwards guitar faded up four times. Finally, "I'm Only Sleeping" was mixed in mono (for the UK version of "Revolver") on Monday June 06 1966 from the control room of EMI studio three. Two mono mixes were attempted and this time ( and the only time) the backwards guitar is faded up five times - the exception.

"I'm Only Sleeping" is available on the Parlophone UK LP "Revolver" and is also to be found on the North American Capitol LP "Yesterday...And Today". The song is also featured on the Capitol LP version of "Rarities" which uses the UK stereo mix.

Darning His Socks In The Night

The second song on the "Revolver" LP is an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by Paul entitled "Eleanor Rigby". The story is basically about a spinster and a priest. The name of the spinster was inspired by the actress Eleanor Bron who played the part of Ahme in the movie "Help!" along with the Beatles. The last name was chosen at the sight of a shop in Bristol while he was visiting his then actress-girlfriend, Jane Asher. The original name for the spinster was Daisy Hawkins. This does not make too much sense as the syllables of the first name is different. Oh, well. Another version of the story states that the name of the spinster already exists on a gravestone at St. Peter's in Woolton, Liverpool which happens to be where John and Paul originally met and also where they used to hang out when skipping school classes. The name of the priest was originally Father McCartney but was later changed (for obvious reasons) to Father MacKenzie via a name check in the local London phone book.

The first recording session for "Eleanor Rigby" was held at EMI studio two on Thursday Paril 28 1966 with both John and Paul present for the sessions. None of the Beatles played any instruments on this recording. The musicians for this first session consisted of a double string quartet. Fourteen takes of the strings took place with some experimentation ( vibrato, no vibrato, etc.) . Also, the microphones for the recording was placed very,very close to the instruments and that had rarely been done at the time. Since the recording of the eight instruments took up all of the four track space, a tape reduction was completed as take 15.

The next day on Friday April 29 1966 at EMI studio three, vocals overdubbed were completed by Paul and backing vocals by John, Paul and George. The recording was now deemed as over with and three mono mixes were attempted from the control room of studio three. Unfortunately, there was another overdub to complete and the three mono mixes from this session were never used.

On Monday June 06 1966, approximately five weeks after first recording "Eleanor Rigby", the Beatles once again took the master tape out of the vault and a final McCartney vocal overdub was completed. This vocal is the "AH, Look at all the lonely people" lives over the final chorus.

On Wednesday June 22 1966 from the control room of Studio three, two mono mixes (remix 4 and 5 from take 15) were completed as well as the stereo mix which was also conducted on the same date from the same location ( 1 remix only for the stereo). When listening to the stereo mix, note that the very first word in the first verse is double tracked and the engineer is slightly late in taking off the double tracking effect. Therefore, apart from the first few syllables, the verse is single tracked. The mono version has the complete first verse single tracked.

"Eleanor Rigby" was released as a single in both the UK (Parlophone R 5493) on August 05 1966 - the same day as the "Revolver" UK LP. In North America, the song was also released as a single (Capitol 5715) on August 08 1966 which was the same day as the "Revolver" US LP. It was the first time that a Beatles single was released with two tracks pulled from an LP and not specifically recorded as a singles track. This double A single also featured "Yellow Submarine" in the UK and North America. This tune will be discussed in a later post.

"Eleanor Rigby" appears on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American Capitol LP/CD "Revolver". The song is also featured on the Parlophone UK LP "A Collection of Beatles Oldies" and on the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1962-1966" as well as the EMI/Parlophone UK LP "20 Greatest Hits" (it does not appear on the North American version however). The song also appears on the Apple/EMI 2-LP/CD "1".

A remix of the song that was reconstructed from the original tapes appears on the Apple/EMI LP/CD "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" and an instrumental pre-vocal remix from take 14 appears on the Apple/EMI "Anthology 2".

"Eleanor Rigby" appears in the Apple film "Yellow Submarine" but strangely does not appear on the Apple LP/CD "Yellow Submarine".

"Eleanor Rigby" won a grammy award in 1966 for "Best contemporary Vocal Performance".

The song has been played live by Paul McCartney during his 1989/1990 World Tour and a version of this performance can be heard on the EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Tripping the Live Fantastic"

There's One For You; Nineteen For Me

The opening track for the faboulous "Revolver" Parlophone UK LP is a George Harrison original composition entitled "Taxman". A very rocky, heavy and bouncy number bemoaning the tax obligation of the world - especially the UK. Harrison sneers the lyrics, while McCartney provides a very Indian-influenced guitar solo in the middle eight and at the end.

"Taxman" was first recorded on Wednesday April 20 1966 and four rhythm takes were attempted at EMI studio two. Two of these takes were incomplete, while the other two were completed to the end of the song. Unfortunately, all four of these takes were never used and the Beatles decided to give the song a fresh start the next day.

The whole song was re-started from anew on Thursday April 21 and this time eleven takes were required to complete the performance for the rhythm track. Vocals and background vocals were also added to the song except that the backing vocals at this stage consisted of John and Paul singing "anybody got a bit of money" in a high pitched voice and very quickly. This would be changed at another session. Also, the ending of the song did not fade out at this point but ended with two vocal notes singing the title. This version of "Taxman" can be heard on the EMI/Apple 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 2".

On Friday April 22 more work was done on "Taxman" in EMI studio two. Once the four track was bounced down, the addition of the "Mister Wilson, Mister Heath" background vocal replaced the previous "anybody got a bit of money" background vocal. Also, the cowbell was overdubbed at this session.

"Taxman" was first mixed for mono from the control room of Studio Three on Wednesday April 27 with the Beatles in attendance. The mono mix from this session was never used. The next attempt at a mono mix for "Taxman" was done on Monday May 16 with four different mono remixes and once again, these mixes were not used. There is a dispute about whether the song count-in was edited onto the song at this stage or whether it was already edited in during the April 21 mixing session. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the count in was probably already present at the earlier session as the version on "Anthology 2" has the count in already in place.

Finally, "Taxman" was once again subjected to mono mixing on Tuesday June 21 1966 from the control room of studio three. The mono remixes 5 and 6 were taken from take 12. Both mono mixes were then edited. Also on the same day and at the same location, "Taxman" was mixed for stereo - named stereo remixes 1 and 2 from take 12. Both stereo mixes were also edited.

"Taxman" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Revolver" as well as the North American version of the Capitol LP "Revolver". It is also featured on the EMI/Capitol 2-LP compilation "Rock 'N' Roll Music" and on the Parlophone/Capitol LP/CD "The Best of George Harrison".

Revolver

"Revolver" is the Beatles' seventh official Parlophone UK LP. The LP was released on Friday August 05 1966 in mono (PMC 7009) and stereo (PCS 7009). The title of the LP refers not to a weapon or gun, but to the actual movement of a vinyl LP rotating on a turntable - although having said this I have seen a promotional poster for the LP with the front cover and the word "BANG" written over it that was issued in the 60s. "Revolver" was also released in the North American market as well, being on Capitol in mono (T 2576) and stereo (ST 2576). The North American release omits three of the songs issued on the UK release. The UK LP contains fourteen songs, while the Capitol version contains eleven. All three songs omitted were written mainly by Lennon thereby rendering the North American version of the album sort of lopsided. The Beatles Capitol LP "Yesterday...And Today" which showcases the three Lennon song left off the North American version of "Revolver" features a front cover photograph by Robert Whitaker with the Beatles dressed in butcher smocks with decapitated baby heads and meat surrounding their smocks (butchers). Whether this was intentional or not, I really don't know. I've read different things on the purpose of the butcher photo, most likely that it was part of Mr. Whitaker's concept although I've also heard that it was a deliberate "piss take" at Capitol for hastily re-arranging their track listing off the LPs and distributing singles and changing LP covers without their consultation.

It seems that the three songs were given to Capitol for release and early copies of "Yesterday...and Today" feature the songs in mono and in fake stereo (highs on one end and lows on the other end). The three songs are "Dr. Robert", "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "I'm Only Sleeping".

The front cover of "Revolver" was designed by an old friend of the Beatles - Mr. Klaus Voorman. The front cover is a collage of line drawings/ portraits and photographs ( cut out mainly from the tour books). The back cover is a photograph taken by Robert Whitaker of the Beatles during a break in the shooting of their promotional film for the single "Paperback Writer/Rain".

The track list is written at the top and once again the lead singer of the song is written on the right side of the song title in question.

Other names proposed for the LP included "The Beatles On Safari", "Abracadabra" and "Magic Circles". "Revolver" was chosen while the Beatles were on tour in Japan. During the 1966 tour of the Far East, the US and Canada: Not one song from "Revolver" was performed.

The Beatles were getting away from straight love songs and now entering into the more Psychedelic era with an emphasis on lyrics dealing with various subjects and also getting into more and varied studio experimentation.

Lastly, "Revolver" is considered a pop masterpiece and rightly so. It is one of the freshest sounding albums and one of the most original LPs ever released by the Beatles. A lot of Beatles fans consider this their favourite.

The next few posts will be devoted to information song-by-song from the "Revolver" sessions including the single that was taken from two of the tracks on the LP.

They Run And Hide Their Heads

The B side of the fantastic Parlophone UK single R 5452 was an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by John entitled "Rain". This once again featured a very "heavy" sound for the Beatles. The ending of the song is John singing backwards - or rather, the tape of John singing being played backwards. A very groovy sounding record and very cool effects.

"Rain" was recorded on Thursday April 14 1966. The Rhythm track consisted of the drums and the guitars. What happened on this basic track was that the band actually played the song at a fast pace and then the recording tape was slowed down thereby making the backing track have a heavier feel than usual. So in actuality, it's the Beatles playing in slow motion. Also on this night, Lennon's vocal was added. I imagine that this version of the tune was taken away by Lennon and that is when he discovered the wonders of backwards tape when he threaded the tape upside down by mistake and discovered his vocals backwards and liked the sound of it. The basic track for "Rain" was completed in EMI studio three and it took five takes to perfect.

The next overdubs for the song were added two days later on Saturday April 16 1966 in EMI studio two. Extra vocals, bass and tambourine were added at this recording session. This completed the recording of "Rain".

On the same day as the completion of the recording of "Rain", the song was mixed for mono. Artificial double tracking was added to the vocals during the mix. Incredibly, the song remained only available in mono for over three years !! "Rain" was finally mixed in stereo on Tuesday December 02 1969 from the control room of EMI studio two. The only reason the song was mixed for stereo was the fact that it would be released in the near future on an Apple compilation LP in the North American Market.

"Rain" first appeared as a single in the UK (Parlophone R 5452) as well as in the US and Canada (Capitol 5651) . "Rain" is also available on the Apple LP "The Beatles Again/Hey Jude" and the EMI/Parlophone UK LP "Rarities". It can also be found on the EMI/Capitol/Apple compilation 2-LP "Past Masters Volume One and Two" as well as the EMI/Capitol/Apple CD "Past Masters Volume Two" and finally on the remastered EMI/Apple 2-CD "Mono Masters" and the remastered stereo 2-CD "Past Masters"

The Beatles didn't bother any attempt to perform this song live.

It's A Dirty Story Of A Dirty Man

The first single available to the UK buying public in 1966 was a pair of great new original Lennon/McCartney compositions. One was mainly by Paul (the A side) and the other was mainly written by John (the B side). The A side was entitled "Paperback Writer" and the B side was entitled "Rain". The single was released on June 10 1966. Oddly enough, this single entered the charts at number two (in the UK) and was the first single to do so since "She Loves You". All singles in between had entered the British charts at number one. Another statistic is that this first 1966 single was the lowest selling single for the Beatles since "Love Me Do", but regardless it still made it to number one not just in the UK but all over the world. Both are heavy rock songs and sound excellent. This was due to the fact that the Beatles had aquired a new engineer for the sessions. Gone was Norman Smith which therefore caused the arrival of Geoff Emerick. Both men have contrubuted greatly to the sound of the Beatles. The book "Recording the Beatles" from Curvebender Publishing is highly recommeneded for those to seek to understand all of the equipment used for the sessions and how the engineers manipulated the machines in order to achieve the sound we all know and love. This post will be information concerning "Paperback Writer".

"Paperback Writer" was written mainly by Paul and the concept of the lyrics is basically delivered in a letter style with the subject pleading for a book deal and trying to sell the story to a publishing house. A great idea. Uncanny then that the background lyrics are basically the nursery rhyme "Frere Jacques" ( well, the first line anyway). How these two things are related is beyond me. Must have been the herbal jazz cigarettes...hahaha.

The basic track for "Paperback Writer" was recorded on Wednesday April 13 1966 at EMI studio three. The instrumentation for the song consisted of Paul and George on the guitars with Ringo on the drums and John provided the percussion (tambourine). It took two takes to perfect with the first take being a breakdown. The first take is available and can be heard on the CD bootleg "Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 3" via the Yellow Dog label. Take two was used for the commercial recording.

Overdubs for "Paperback Writer" were completed the next day on Thursday April 14 1966. The overdubs consisted of the main vocal by Paul and the backing vocals by John and George. A few guitar fills were added as well as the bass guitar. The bass was overdubbed with Paul using a Rickenbaker rather than his Hofner and a loudspeaker was used in the same sense of a microphone in order to boost the signal. the bass was then compressed and limited making it more prominent than it's previous recordings attested to.

There were two attempts at mono mixing "Paperback Writer". Both attempts were performed from the control room of EMI studio three also on Thursday April 14 1966. One of the great effects was to slow down the tape echo during the "a capella" section of the song when the Beatles harmonize on the words "Paperback Writer". As the tune was released that June in mono only, there was no need for a stereo mix. In the fall, once EMI decided to release the greatest hits package, a stereo mix for "Paperback Writer" was required. The stereo mix took place on Monday October 31 1966 from the control room of EMI studio one. This stereo mix was attempted three times and it allegedly took two hours to completed. The effects of slowing down the tape echo is not quite as prominent on the stereo mix as on the mono mix.

"Paperback Writer" was released in the UK as a single with "Rain" on Parlophone R 5452. The song was also released in North American as a single on Capitol 5651 with a picture sleeve. "Paperback Writer" is also available on the Parlophone UK LP "A Collection of Beatles Oldies" as well as the North American Apple LP "Hey Jude/The Beatles Again" and on the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1962-1966". Interestingly, the song was featured on disc 5 of the World Records 8-LP set "The Beatles Box". The song is once again featured on the Parlophone UK version of the LP "20 Greatest Hits" as well as the North American version of the Capitol LP "20 Greatest Hits". It can be found on the EMI/Apple 2-LP "Past Masters" as well as the CD "Past Masters Volume Two". Finally, "Paperback Writer is available on the EMI/ Apple 2-LP/ CD "1" and the remastered EMI/Apple 2-CD "Mono Collection" as well as the EMI/Apple 2-CD stereo remastered "Past Masters" series.

A great tune, a great single and (in my opinion) one of two Beatles singles which are often underrated and overlooked.

"Paperback Writer" was performed live by The Beatles during their Far East/ American tour of 1966. It was the only song performed live from the entire catalogue of 1966 original recordings !!!!!

1966

Once the "Rubber Soul" LP was released in December 1965, The Beatles had the time to take a bit of a well deserved break for the first time in years. In the meanwhile, two EPs were released: the first Parlophone EP (GEP 8946) was released three days after the "Rubber Soul" LP on December 06 1965 and was entitled "The Beatles Million Sellers". This EP was designed for the Christmas market and consisted of all five (at the time) million selling songs from years gone by. The line up consisted of "She Loves You", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "Can't Buy Me Love" and "I Feel Fine". This left only "A Hard Day's Night" which was previously issued on an EP anyway.

The very first Beatles vinyl release for 1966 was put out on March 04 1966 and was once again a Parlophone EP (GEP 8948). The title of this EP was "Yesterday" and consisted of four songs from the previously released second sountrack Parlophone "Help!" LP. The EP was probably released due to the popularity of the title track at the time. The four songs have the lead vocals sung by the different Beatles: "Yesterday" sung by Paul; "Act Naturally" sung by Ringo; "You Like Me Too Much" sung by George and "It's Only Love" sung by John.

The Beatles also took the time at the end of November 1965 to film some promo clips for the new single "Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out" as well as some previous hits such as "Help!", "Ticket To Ride" and "I Feel Fine". All of these promos were shot at Twickenham Film Studios in London.

The Beatles had one last task to complete before resuming recording sessions at EMI studios. This task was to have the Beatles overdub and "sweeten" the film work which consisted of film footage taken during their previous year's "Live At Shea Stadium" film from August 1965. The Beatles assembled at CTS Studios on January 05 1966. Paul overdubbed his bass track for "Dizzy Miss Lizzie", "Can't Buy Me Love", "Baby's In Black" and "I'm Down". John had to overdub the organ solo on "I'm Down" as well. The whole band re-recorded the following live tunes: "I Feel Fine" and "Help!". The film soundtrack of "Shea Stadium" uses the audio live version of the Beatles' "Twist and Shout" not from Shea, but from one of the 1965 Hollywood Bowl shows. Also, the audio for the live version of "Act Naturally" is actually the commercial studio recording !!!

Once this task was complete, the Beatles did not assemble into EMI studios until the beginning of April 1966. One new LP consisting of original material, one "greatest hits" LP and two singles were released during 1966 (in the UK). These recording will be discussed in the upcoming posts. Stay tuned.

I'd Rather See You Dead Little Girl

The last song on the Parlophone UK LP "Rubber Soul" is an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by John entitled "Run For Your Life". This is the final tune heard on the LP and it's really a shame. The song itself is not much to talk about, the structure is bland (for the Beatles) and even it's composer (Lennon) always stated throughout his life that "Run For Your Life" was a "Knock off" and was hastily written and completed. It sounds like it. The composer also stated that he actually disliked the song (Playboy interview 1980). Some of the lyrics to the song were lifted from the Elvis Presley recording of "Baby, Let's Play House".

Although "Run For Your Life" was the last song on the LP, it was the very first song recorded. The recording of the basic track took place on October 12 1965 at EMI studio two. It took five takes to complete as the previous four were breakdown and only the fifth was complete. Once the basic track was in the can, so to speak, the overdubs included tambourine, lead guitar and vocals by John with backing by Paul and George. The song was completed all in one day.

"Run For Your Life" was mixed for mono on Tuesday November 09 1965 from room 65 at EMI studios and then mixed for stereo the next day on Wednesday November 1965 also from room 65 at EMI studios.

"Run For Your Life" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Rubber Soul" as well as being available on the North American Capitol LP/CD "Rubber Soul".

The song was never performed live.

It Might Not Have Been Like This

The second last track on side two of the Parlophone UK LP "Rubber Soul" or the thirteenth track of the UK CD of the same title is the second George Harrison composed original from the "Rubber Soul" sessioins entitled "If I Needed Someone". This is definitely a highlight of the album as it featured wonderful three part harmonies and a great 12 string electric guitar riff. It sounds a lot like the Byrds. At the time, the Hollies (EMI label mates of the Beatles) covered the song and reportedly Harrison was not impressed by the cover.

The basic track for "If I Needed Someone" was undertaken on Saturday October 16 1965 at EMI studio two and was completed after one take ( a lot of rehearsal and arranging taking place, I'm sure as it is a fairly complicated song). Overdubs on the basic track were recorded two days later on October 18 1965 with the addition of George's main vocals and backing vocals by John and Paul. A tambourine and additional guitar were also overdubbed at the session. As with the basic track, the overdubs were also recorded at EMI studio two.

The mono mix for "If I Needed Someone" was conducted from the control room of studio two on Monday October 25 1965 and the stereo mix was conducted the next day on Tuesday October 26 1965 also from the control room of studio two. There was also a second stereo mix conducted in the 1980's for the CD release which saw the vocals slightly centered.

"If I Needed Someone" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Rubber Soul" as well as the North American Capitol LP "Yesterday...And Today". Oddly enough, this song was also included on the EMI/Parlophone/Capitol LP/CD "The Best of George Harrison" which was released November 20 1976 in the UK and November 08 1976 in the US and Canada.

"If I Needed Someone" was performed live by Beatles for their British 1965 winter tour as well as their 1966 Far East/ North American tour.

I Feel As Though I Ought To Know

The next song we hear on the Parlophone UK LP "Rubber Soul" is an original Lennon/McCartney composition entitled "Wait". This song has a very strange history. "Wait" was never intended for "Rubber Soul", it was originally intended to appear on the Beatles' previous second sountrack Parlophone UK LP "Help!". Once the basic track had been completed, it was decided that the song was sub-par and was never used for the soundtrack LP. Fast forward to November 1965: the Beatles were trying to complete the "Rubber Soul" album and time was running out. It was almost mid November and the LP was due to be released in the UK on December 03 1965. Therefore, the tapes for "Wait" were dusted off (so to speak) and the song was completed with overdubs and released on side two of the "Rubber Soul" LP. I actually like the song and I find it just as interesting as anything else released by the Beatles in 1965. It has a shared vocal between John and Paul so I'm assuming it was jointly written.

The basic track for "Wait" was recorded back on Thursday July 17 1965 at EMI Studio two. There were four takes of the basic track which included guitars, bass, drums and the vocals. "Wait" remained this way until Thursday November 11 1965 when it was decided to pull the tape of the basic track out of storage and overdubs including a tone pedal guitar, a second McCartney vocal, tambourine and maracas were added. This session also used EMI studio two.

"Wait" was mixed for mono and mixed for stereo on the same day - four days after the overdubs on Monday November 15 1965 from EMI studio one. There was also a stereo mix made for the 1987 CD release and this mix centered the main vocal.

"Wait" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Rubber Soul" as well as the North American Capitol LP/CD "Rubber Soul". Probably not the best song on the LP, but certainly not the worst either. It's always nice to re-visit this "deep track".

"Wait" was never performed live by the Beatles.

I Know I'll Often Stop And Think About Them

The next song on the Parlophone UK LP is an original Lennon/McCartney tune written mainly by John entitled "In My Life". Lennon has claimed that this is one of his favourites. This is a bit of a nostalgic tune and the original lyrics (before being recorded) name-checked Penny Lane in the words and was later crossed out.

The basic track for "In My Life" was reocrded on Monday October 18 1965 at EMI studio two. Three takes were attempted and only two were complete while one was a breakdown. The third take was kept and consisted of the vocal by John and backing by Paul, guitar, bass, drums and tambourine. Instead of opting for a guitar solo, it was decided by the Beatles to have a keyboard solo instead. Either on this session, or the next session, George Martin had used a hammond organ to fill the space although the idea changed at some point between this session and the next session. The next session being on Friday October 22 1965 once again at EMI studio two where the Hammond organ was wiped away and replaced by a piano solo once again played by George Martin. The piano was speeded up an octave in order to sound more like a harpsichord fitting for the Baroque type solo given.

"In My Life" was mixed for mono on Monday October 25 1965 from the control room of Studio two. The song was mixed for stereo the next day Tuesday October 28 1965 also from the control room of Studio two. There is a stereo remix that was performed for the 1987 released of the CD version that is not much difference except for a little more reverb on the vocals.

"In My Life" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "Rubber Soul" as well as the North American Capitol version of the LP/CD "Rubber Soul". "In My Life" is also featured on the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1962-1966" as well as the EMI/Capitol compilation 2-LP "Love Songs".

"In My Life" was never performed by The Beatles as a group, but the song was featured (oddly enough) with some slight lyrics changed when George Harrison conducted his North American "Dark Horse" concert tour of 1974. Hare Krishna !!