Let's Hear It For Dennis...

The B side of the "Let It Be" single (Apple R 5833 in the UK and Apple 2764 in North America) contains on original Lennon/McCartney composition written jointly by John and Paul entitled "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)". This was an example of the zaniness prevailing during the Beatles' recording career and it remains one of Paul McCartney favourite Beatles songs !! It has a nice night-club feel to it and contains some wonderful "in-jokes" and humour.

The recording for the song began on May 17 1967 at EMI studio two with 14 takes of a basic track including drums, bass, guitars, percussion and vocals. Take ten was maked as best for the moment.

On Wednesday June 07 1967 at EMI studio two , there was an overdub onto the song (probably piano) but rather than use take 10, take 09 recieved the overdub instead. The rest of the session comprised of several unorthodoxed jams and improvisations.

The next day on Thursday June 08 1967 once again at EMI studio two, part two of the song was recorded in 12 takes, part three of the song was recorded in four takes, part four of the song was recorded in six takes and the final part of the song (part five) was recorded in one take. The instrumentation consisted of piano, bass and drums, guitar and vibes. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones also contributed some sax playing at this session.

All of the above recordings were edited together the next day on Friday June 09 1967 from the control room of EMI studio two as follows: named "take 30", the editing consisted of take 09 from part one, take 12 from part 2, take 4 from part three, take 6 from part four and take 1 from part five. The song at this point lasted over six minutes and was basically instrumental. A rough mono mix was attempted and completed at this session while acetates were cut for the Beatles to take away.

Fast forward to Wednesday April 30 1969 and the four track instrumental tape of "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) " is taken out of the vault. At EMI studio three, John Lennon and Paul McCartney added vocals and spoken nonsense to this track as well as overdubbing audience noise, applause, etc. Also at this session - once the vocals and effects were completed - three mono mixes were attempted with the third one being kept for the moment.

Finally, on Wednesday November 26 1969 at EMI studio two the original idea was to have "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" paired together as a single with the Beatles recording "What's The New Mary Jane" under the Plastic Ono Band moniker. At this session, in fact, "You Know My Name" was copyed from the third mono mix of April 30 1969 - bringing the mono mix to remix 4 and then being edited from over six minutes to over four minutes. The idea to release this single was eventually rejected and "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" appeared as the B side to the Beatles single "Let It Be" instead.

Original copies of the "Let It Be" single have the matrix numbers APPLES 1002 written in the run out groove of the B side and then crossed out.

"You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" remained in mono up to the Anthology project where is was presented for the first time in stereo although it was once again edited in different places. The original length of the song in stereo and/or mono has never been officially released. The stereo version with different edits can be heard on the Apple/EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 2".

As well as being found on the B side of the "Let it Be" single, this song is available on the EMI LP "Rarities" (UK version) as well as well as the Capitol promotional LP included in "The Beatles Box" from 1978 entitled "Rarities" and the Capitol LP "Rarities". The song can also be found on the Capitol /EMI 2-LP/ CD "Past Masters Volume two" and on the remastered Apple/EMI 2-CD "Mono Masters" and "Past Masters" (both latter versions presented in mono).

Whisper Words Of Wisdom

The next appearance of a "new" Beatles song was a single released in the UK on Apple R 5833 on March 06 1970 and in North America on Apple 2764 on March 11 1970. The single consisted of "Let It Be/ You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)". This post will deal with the A side. This was the last single released in the UK while the group were still together.

"Let It be" is an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by Paul. The song title came to Paul during a dream in which his mother appeared and re-assured him. This piano based hymn like song was also the title of the next LP as well as the last Beatles film to be made while the group were still together.

A run through of the song with just Paul sitting at the piano was performed on January 09 1969 during the documentary filming of the "Get Back" project at Twickhan Film studios in London.

The first true official recording of the song took place at Apple Studios in London on Janaury 25 1969 whereby "Let It Be" starting with just piano and vocal and the other instruments drifting in. This version is made available on the Apple 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 3".

The next day on January 26 1969 once again from Apple Studios, another version of "Let It Be" was performed but it remains incomplete and was not released.

On Friday January 31 1969 at Apple Studios, take 27 of "Let It Be" is used for the commercial basic track. The instrumentation at this point is Paul on piano and vocal, John on bass, George Harrison on guitar, Ringo on drums and Billy Preston on organ. (An edit of takes 27 - second attempt - and the earlier take 24 were used for the film version). The "Get Back" LP also uses take 27 for it's track line-up.

Stereo mixing for the "Get Back" LP version of "Let it Be" was completed on March 10 1969 by Glyn Johns at Olympic Sound Studios in Barnes, London. (mix take unknown). This mix would not be used in the end.

On April 30 1969, George Harrison was dissatisfied with his original guitar solo on "Let It Be" and decided to overdub a new one onto take 27 using his leslie based sound. The overdub took place at EMI studio three. This version with the new solo was released on the "Get Back" LP (both versions).

A new stereo mix for the "Get Back" LP was attempted and completed on Wednesday May 29 1969 by George Martin and Glyn Johns at Olympic Sound Studios Barnes, London. The LP was banded and compiled and presented to the Beatles. It was rejected. Although this particular LP was never officially released, there are tons of bootlegs that contain the music and the early take 27 version of "Let It Be".

On Sunday January 04 1970, an overdub of some backing vocals by George Harrison and Paul McCartney were overdubbed onto take 27. A reduction take was then attempted three times bringing the song to take 30. While the reduction was taking place, brass instruments were overdubbed at the same time. Once completed and reduced, another more distorted guitar solo by George Harrison was added as well as some drums by Ringo and percussion (maracas) by Paul. Finally, cellos were added to the end of the song. Two stereo mixes were made: one with the original guitar solo using a leslie by George Harrison and with the brass mixed down; and one with the distorted lead guitar solo with the brass brought up in the mix. These two stereo mixes can be identified mainly by the guitar solos.

"Let It Be" is available (mix one) on the Apple worldwide single. The song is also available on the Apple LP/CD "Let It Be" (mix two). It can also be heard on the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1967-1970"(mix one), the EMI/ Capitol of Canada LP "The Beatles Ballads" (mix one), the EMI/Capitol LP "Reel Music" (mix two), the North American version of the Capitol LP "20 Greatest Hits" (mix one), the Apple/EMI 2-LP/CD "1", the EMI 2-LP/CD "Past Masters Volume two" as well as the EMI 2-CD "Past Masters" (both using mix one). Finally , a version with take 27 using additional vocals from the film version has been introduced on the Apple/EMI LP/CD "Let It Be...Naked".

"Let It Be" has been performed live by Paul McCartney several times during his solo career including the Wings tour of 1979, and is available on the Atlantic 2-LP "Concerts For The People Of Kampuchea". The song was also performed on July 13 1985 for "Live Aid". The song was also performed during Paul's 1989-1990 tour and was included on the EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Tripping the Live Fantastic" and it's EMI LP/CD companion: "Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights", the song was also performed during Paul's 1991 surprise live gigs and on the 1993 New World Tour. The song has also been performed by Paul and his band through the 2000s including versions on EMI's 2-CD "Back in the World" and the DVD/CD "Back in the US" and all subsequent tours including his 2010 "Up and Coming" tour.

Nothin's Gonna Change My World

The next release of Beatles music during their career and after the "Abbey Road" LP is the appearance of an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by John entitled "Across The Universe". In this instance, the song was used on a charity UK LP for the World Wildlife Fund. This version of "Across the Universe" became somewhat rare in the 1970s due to the fact that the charity LP was deleted after a couple of years and the song (in this version) did not appear on a Beatles LP until the UK version of the EMI UK LP "Rarities" was released along with the blue box set "The Beatles Collection" in 1978.

Another version of "Across The Universe" was released during the Beatles' active career on the Apple LP/CD "Let It Be". This time the song was slowed down in tempo and was barer than the charity version.

The recording of "Across The Universe" started on February 03 1969 at EMI studio three. Seven takes of the basic track was recorded with the instrumentation being John on acoustic guitar and lead vocal, table harp, tom toms and tamboura. All of the sounds at this point were "flanged" via sound effects from the recording studio. Take two of the song appears on the Apple 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 2".

The next day on Sunday February 04 1969, once again from EMI studio three, John Lennon overdubbed his lead vocal onto take 07 of the basic track. The backing tape would run slow when the lead vocal was put on thus making Lennon's voice sound higher pitched upon playback. It was then decided to put a little bit of experimentation into the song. I believe that if the tune at this point would have been left alone, a fine version of the song would have been great but different effects and elements of the song were thought of and attempted. It was first decided to add backing vocals to John's lead, but for some unknown reason the backing would be sung by female voices. Since it was a Sunday and a last minute decision, the story is that Paul McCartney went outside and chose two females to sing the harmony parts in the chorus out of a group of girls hanging around the perimeter of EMI studios on Abbey Road. The two girls were Lizzie Bravo and Gayleen Pease - on 16 and 18 respectively. The girls were given their notes and lyric and once they accomplished the vocals they were ushered out of the studio. Since the Beatles were still using four-track in early 1968, the tape reduction was attempted and concluded bringing the song to take eight. Further experimentation ensued with a backwards bass and drums, humming vocals and guitar and harp "to be played backwards".

The recording of the song continued four days later on February 08 1969 from EMI studio two. The experimentation continued with various overdubs including an organ played by George Martin (not used), a mellotron played by John Lennon (not used), John then added a guitar, George Harrison played the maracas and Paul added a piano. The backwards bass and drums were replaced with harmonies from John , Paul and George H. A mono mix of the song at this stage was attempted twice in the control room of EMI studio two but remained unreleased.

At some point later in the year 1968 or the beginning of 1969, animal sound effects were added to the mono mix 2 from the February 08 1969 attempt. The purpose of the mix was to have this on an abandoned EP release for music from the film "Yellow Submarine". This EP did not materialize with the LP soundtrack being released instead. The mono mix with the animal effects can be heard on the Apple/EMI 2-CD "Mono Masters" from the Mono box set.

The version of "Across The Universe" originally heard on the UK charity LP was mixed for stereo from EMI room 4 on October 20 1969. The tape was run fast during the mix. This stereo version was released on the Regal Zonophone Starline UK LP: "No One's Gonna Change Our World" on December 12 1969.

During the "Get Back" project, Glyn Johns - the producer/engineer for the proposed LP to be released entitled "Get Back" - was inspired to use "Across The Universe" due to the fact that a rehearsal/run-through of the song was filmed during the early Twickenham studio rehearsals back in January 1969. Glyn Johns used take 07 and removed the Beatles' harmony vocals, the animal effects and slowed down the tape. This stereo mix was conducted at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London on January 05 1970. This mix remains commercially unreleased.

Another stereo mix was conducted on Monday March 23 1970 by Phil Spector. This mix was attempted eight time with the eight mix being the one used for overdubbing.

Finally, on April 01 1970, an orchestra and choir were added to "Across The Universe". Phil Spector slowed the tape down even more and all of the backing vocals were eliminated as well as all of the effects. A tape reduction of the song brought it to take 09. The orchestra recorded the overdub in EMI studio one while the recording board was supervised in EMI studio three.

The next day on April 02 1970, "Across The Universe" was given three stereo mix attempts with the third attempt being the commercial version two for the "Let It Be" LP.

Version one of "Across The Universe" (with the animal effects and female backing) is available on the Starline UK LP "No One's Gonna Change Our World" as well as the EMI/Parlophone UK LP "Rarities" and the North American version of the Capitol LP "Rarities". It is also on the Capitol/EMI 2-LP/CD "Past Masters Volume two" as well as on the Apple/EMI CD "Mono Masters" and the Apple/ EMI CD "Past Masters" from the box set.

Version two of "Across The Universe" (without the animal effects and female backing) is available on the Apple LP/CD "Let It Be" as well as on the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1967-1970" and the Capitol of Canada/EMI LP "The Beatles Ballads". Lastly, there is a stripped down stereo mix with John on vocal, his guitar and the tamboura featured on the Apple/EMI LP/CD "Let It Be...Naked".

She Doesn't Have A Lot To Say

The last song on the Apple LP/CD "Abbey Road" is a short acoustic original composition by Lennon/McCartney written mainly by Paul entitled "Her Majesty".

Paul's ode to the Queen (Elizabeth II), the song was rehearsed during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions and can be heard on bootlegs during the session on January 09 1969 from Twickenham studios.

On original covers and labels of the first pressing Apple LPs, some copies do not have "Her Majesty" listed as part of the track list on the back cover. In the UK and North America, first pressings of the Abbey Road LP do not feature "Her Majesty" on the type copy for the side two label. Later copies and re-issues feature "Her Majesty" on the type copy for side two but some of the covers left it off for a few years (depending where the cover was printed).

"Her Majesty" was recorded on Wednesday July 02 1969 at EMI studio two. The song took three takes to perfect (the commercial version is take three). The instrumentation for the song is simply Paul McCartney on acoustic guitar and vocal. Two of the eight tracks was all it required to complete the song. The full version of "Her Majesty" with the end chord can be heard on the bootleg from Yellow Dog - track 09 - of the CD "Unsurpassed Masters Volume 5".

On July 30 1969, the test run for the "Huge Melody" was attempted. At this time, "Her Majesty" was placed between "Mean Mister Mustard" and "Polythene Pam". The song was also given a rough stereo mix at this time. After the test run of the long medley, it was decided by Paul McCartney that "Her Majesty" did not quite fit within the scope of the musical ensemble and was thus edited out of the medley. EMI engineer John Kurlander took the removed portion of "Her Majesty" and instead of throwing it away, proceeded to tack it onto the end of the reel after the leader tape. This version was taken away to Apple in order to cut an acetate of the current work. When the acetate arrived back from Apple and was played , it was discovered that there was about twenty seconds of silence before "Her Majesty" automatically began to play at the end of the acetate! Paul McCartney thought it was brilliant and decided to have the commercial LP replicate this order of songs complete with the edited and roughly mixed stereo "Her Majesty".

The original order of the "Huge Melody" with "Her Majesty" placed back between "Mean Mister Mustard" and "Polythene Pam" can be heard on the Vigotone CD "No. 3 Abbey Road N.W. 8".

"Her Majesty" is available on the Apple LP/CD "Abbey Road".

A live version of the song was played by Paul McCartney on June 03 2002 as part of "Party At The Palace" for the Golden Julbilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Are Ya Gonna Be In My Dreams Tonight ?

The final song from the "Huge Melody" of side two of the Apple LP/CD "Abbey Road" is an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by Paul appropriately entitled "The End". The title of the song was written down as "Ending" for recording purposes. Although technically this was not the last song on the LP, it finished the huge melody and wrapped up the LP with the next song being mainly an afterthought. On the original first press labels of side two on the LP, "The End" is listed as the last song.

This song features a drum solo by Ringo ( his first and only) as well as the remaining Beatles' three guitar solos in this order: Paul, George and John.

The basic track for "The End" was started on Wednesday July 23 1969 at EMI studio three. Seven takes of the song were recorded with Ringo's drum solo being different each time. The group settled on take 07 for the final overdubs and at this point stray lead guitar, tambourine and other instruments were present on the recording which would be later excised. Also, the song at this point was only one minute and twenty seconds in length. This would change with overdubs and editing to extend the track.

On July 30 1969, an experiment to connect all of the songs for the "Huge Melody" was completed and "The End" received a rough stereo mix. There was still work to do as vocals and other overdubs had not yet been completed. This version can be heard on Yellow Dog's "Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 5". At this point, "The End" was purely instrumental and sounds like a bed track. A very early version. No trade -off guitar solos either.

Vocals for "The End" were recording as overdubs on August 05 1969 at EMI studio two.

Two days later on August 07 1969 at EMI studio three, more of the harmony vocals as well as the guitar solos played by the three Beatles were added to take 07 of "The End".

The next day on August 08 1969 at EMI studio two, more bass and drums were added to "The End".

The orchestration for the song (which is played at the ending of the song) was recorded in EMI studio one but fed to the mixing board in EMI studio two. This took place on August 15 1969.

Three days later on August 18 1969 at EMI studio two, the piano for the coda was overdubbed (probably doubled) as it originally exists on the test run from July 30 1969. "The End" was also mixed for stereo in six attempts on this day with the last attempt being deemed at the correct mix.

The next day on August 19 1969, the stereo mix for "The End" was once again attempted three times. At some point, two bars of music was added to the middle A to D section by means of editing.

On Thursday August 21, a final stereo mix was conducted and this is the mix that is available on the current commercia version. There was also editing by engineer Phil McDonald which saw manipulation of the orchestral overdub.

Finally on Monday August 25 1969, "The End" was once again edited to remove 36 seconds of music ( the middle section where the guitar solos emerge ) which were probably just twice the length or repeated twice.

"The End" is available on the Apple LP/CD "Abbey Road". A version of "The End" with the tambouine and stray guitar note as well as an edit of the middle section and with the orchestration being brought up in the mix can be heard on the Apple/EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 3". Finally, portions of the middle section mixed in and out can be heard on the Apple/EMI 2-LP/CD "Love".

A live version of "The End" can be heard from Paul McCartney's 1989-1990 world tour on the Capitol/EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Tripping the Live Fantastic" as well as the Capitol/EMI LP/CD "Tripping the Live Fantastic. Hightlights!".

I Will Sing A Lullaby

The next song on the "Huge Melody" from the Apple LP/CD "Abbey Road" is another original Lennon/McCartney song written mainly by Paul entitled "Golden Slumbers". The song was inspired by Paul's inability to read sheet music when upon seeing the words to a poem by British playwright Thomas Dekker. Paul set the melody to the words of the poem (although some of the words were modified in the lyrics). So, maybe it's really a Lennon/McCartney/Dekker composition. In any case, the song was written at Paul's father's home in Chesire on the piano to the amusement of his stepsister Ruth who had shown him the poem.

The song was played at the "Get Back/Let It Be" Twickenham rehearsals on January 09 1969.

On the LP label, the full performance is titled "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" although the working title throughout the commercial recording was simply "Golden Slumbers'.

The basic track for the recording started on July 02 1969 at EMI studio two. The instrumentation for the song consisted of Paul on piano and guide vocal, George Harrison on bass and Ringo on drums. 15 takes were performed although it was take 13 that was used for the commercial release and the bed track.

The next day on Thursday July 03 1969, takes 13 and 15 were edited together at EMI studio two although the take continued to be referred to as take 13. Two lead vocals from Paul and the Paul, George and Ringo vocals were added to the "Carry That Weight" portion. There is also a leslie guitar played on the last riff of "Carry that Weight" that was added to the track. Also on this date, two tape reductions of the song were attempted and completed bringing the song into take 17.

The next day on Friday July 04 1969, the Lewisohn book mentions an overdub onto the "Golden Slumbers" track, but does not mention what that overdub was. In fact, the reference books I've been looking at all mention that there was an overdub session on this date at EMI studio two, but there is nothing saying what that instrument or vocal or whatever was actually done and I'm assuming it must be a vocal or the guitar and that maybe vocals were overdubbed one day and the guitar the next or visa versa.

On July 30 1969 at EMI studio three, Paul McCartney overdubbed another vocal onto the "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight". The song was then given at rough stereo mix in the control room of EMI studio two and placed within the context of the huge melody as a test run. This version of the song ( in mono ) can be heard on the bootleg "Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 05".

The next day on Thursday July 31 1969, Paul McCartney once again "punched in" his lead vocal starting at the first chorus and overdubbed the rest of the song. Also added to the track were timpani and extra drums by Ringo. The guitar solo was also added at this point. All of this taking place at EMI studio two.

Finally, on August 15 1969, the orchestra overdub was recorded onto "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" from EMI studio one (where the orchestra was located) into EMI studio two (the control room where the mixing board was located.

Three days later on Monday August 18 1969, "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" was mixed for stereo in two attempts from the control room of EMI studio two.

"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" is available on the Apple LP/CD "Abbey Road".

The song was performed live by Paul McCartney on his 1989-1990 World Tour and is available on the EMI/Capitol 3-LP/2-CD "Tripping The Live Fantastic" as well as the EMI/Capitol LP/CD "Tripping the Live Fantastic - Highlights!".

The song also appears on the "Get Back" DVD of the above tour as well as being performed at the Albert Hall in London for "The Music for Montserrat" on September 15 1997.

His Sister Pam/ Yeah, Yeah, Yeah !!

The next two songs on the "Huge Melody" of side two on the Abbey Road LP/CD, they were both recorded at the same time similar to the previous posting of "Sun King/Mean Mister Mustard". The two songs in question were both Lennon/McCartney original compositions. The first section written mainly by John while the second section written mainly by Paul. The titles of the songs are "Polythene Pam/ She Came in Through The Bathroom Window".

An early demo version of "Polythene Pam" featuring John on vocal and acoustic can be heard on the Apple 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 3" from the "White Album" pre-production tapes made at George Harrison's Esher home in May 1968.

"She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" surfaces as a rehearsal from the "Get Back/Let It Be" project from either the 21st or 22nd of January 1969 ( depending on the source). This early performance can be heard on the Apple 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 3".

The proper commercial recording of both songs started with the basic track recordings which took place Friday July 25 1969 from EMI studio two. 39 takes of the songs were completed with the instrumentation of John on guide vocal and acoustic, Paul on guide vocal (for the second part) and bass, George on electric and Ringo on drums. Take 39 was used as the final take and a shit load of overdubs occurred over the next few days. For instance, on this day alone, the drums and the bass as well as the proper lead vocals were all overdubbed before day's end !!

After that week-end on Monday July 28 1969, more overdubs for the song continue with lead vocal, electric and acoustic piano, tambourine, assorted percussion, acoustic and electric guitars. Whew !! Once these were completed, a reduction was attempted and completed in order to add additional overdubs to the songs.

Two days later on Wednesday July 30 1969, more overdubs were added to the songs including backing vocals, more guitars and more percussion. The two songs were given a rough stereo mix and played in order of the "Huge Melody" as a test run on this day.

The commercial release of the song had the following audible overdubs (many of the overdubs completed above were either wiped out or inaudible on the commercial release): backing vocals, an electric guitar and various percussion such as a tambourine, maracas, etc.

The editing/crossfading/ and stereo mixing of "Polythene Pam/She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" was attempted and completed in twelve attempts on Thursday August 14 1969 from the control room of EMI studio two.

"Polythene Pam/She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" is available on the Apple LP/CD "Abbey Road".

Everybody's Happy/ Dirty Old Man

The next two songs following the introduction in the long melody are both original Lennon/McCartney compositions and are both written mainly by John: "Sun King/Mean Mister Mustard". A demo version of "Mean Mister Mustard" can be heard as the fourth track of the Apple/ EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 3" which was performed in May 1968 as part of the "Esher Demos".

During the recording of "Sun King/Mean Mister Mustard"; the working title at EMI was "Part Two: Here Comes The Sun King". It was probably shortened due to the similarity of the previous George Harrison composition "Here Comes The Sun".

The basic track for "Sun King/Mean Mister Mustard" was completed in 35 takes on July 24 1969 at EMI studio two. The instrumentation was John on guide vocal and acoustic guitar, George Harrison on electric guitar, Paul on bass and Ringo on drums. At one point during this session, The Beatles started busking "Ain't She Sweet" (Gene Vincent version) and the jam was caught on tape and is available in stereo on the Apple/EMI 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 3".

The next day on July 25 1969 and once again at EMI studio two, overdubs included vocals, piano and organ.

Finally, four days later on July 29 1969 at EMI studio three, more vocal overdubs and bongos, tambourine and maracas were added to the track.

The next day on Wednesday July 30 1969 from the control room of EMI studio two, "Sun King/Mean Mister Mustard" was given a rough stereo mix and placed within the huge melody to see if it would work. The cross fade between "You Never Give Me Your Money" and "Sun King" posed a bit of a problem but that was worked out with sound effects added the following month (see previous post).

On Tuesday August 14 1969 from the control room of EMI studio two, "Sun King/Mean Mister Mustard" were given four attempts at a stereo mix with the fourth attempt being used on the commercial version.

On Thursday August 21 1969 in room 4 of EMI studios, the final crossfading between "You Never Give Me Your Money" and "Sun King" was completed in stereo using the sound effects.

"Sun King/Mean Mister Mustard" are available on the Apple LP/CD "Abbey Road". A silly version of "Sun King" entitled "Gnik Nus" which is basically the vocal track played backwards is available as track 08 on the Apple/EMI 2-LP/CD "Love".

One, Two , Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven.

The third song on the second side of the LP/CD "Abbey Road" consists of an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by Paul entitled "You Never Give Me Your Money". This tune was the beginning of a series of songs that were intended to form a continuous piece of music/ kind of a medley of various songs. The entire piece was referred to as "The Long One/Huge Melody". "You Never Give Me Your Money" introduced the long melody and was recorded as an introduction from the beginning. The song was inspired by the constant business pressures and troubles eminating from the Apple Corps. offices of the day.

The basic track for "You Never Give Me Your Money" was conducted on Tuesday May 06 1969 at Olympic Sound Studios in Barnes, London. The instrumentation for the basic tracks included Paul on vocal and piano, John on distorted electric guitar, George on clean swirling guitar (with the help of a Leslie) and Ringo on drums. 36 takes were recorded. The Beatles chose take 30 for the commercial version. A stereo mix of this version was attempted and completed on the same day.

On Tuesday July 01 1969 at EMI studio two, Paul McCartney re-did his vocal track for "You Never Give Me Your Money". A mono mix of this version of the song can be heard on the bootleg: "Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 05".

On Friday July 11 1969 again at EMI studio two, another Paul McCartney solo performance as his bass guitar was overdubbed onto take 30 of "You Never Give Me Your Money".

Four days later on July 15 1969 at EMI studio three, more vocals and tambourine/ chimes were added to the song.

On Wednesday July 30 1969, "You Never Give Me Your Money" was given some backing vocals on the "Out Of Money..." section which eventually went un-used for the commercial version. Once completed, a test run of "The Long One/Huge Melody" commenced which gave "You Never Give Me Your Money" a rough stereo mix consisting of a reduction to take 40. At this point, "You Never Give Me Your Money" and "Sun King" were linked by an organ chord. This rough mix can be heard on the bootleg: "Unsurpassed Masters Volume 05". All of this took place in the control room of EMI studio two.

On Thursday July 31 1969, Paul McCartney disgarded the previous day's reduction (eliminating the previous day's vocal overdub) and re-recorded his bass guitar and tack piano section in the "Out of money..." part.

On Tuesday August 05 1969, Paul McCartney entered the control room of EMI studio three with a bag full of home made tape loops. He then took his tape loops and transferred them onto professional four track tape. The loops were sound effects containing cricket sounds, bell chiming, birds, etc. This loop was used to finally connect "You never Give Me Your Money" and "Sun King" on the recording. Five takes were attempted to mix and connect the sound effects.

On Wednesday August 13 1969, "You Never Give Me Your Money" was mixed for stereo in 27 attempts with attempt 23 being used for the commercial version. The song was mixed for stereo in the control room of EMI studio two.

The next day on August 14 1969, "You Never Give Me Your Money" was crossfaded into "Sun King" with 11 attempts including the inclusion of the sound effects.

"You Never Give Me Your Money" is available on the Apple LP/CD "Abbey Road".

On a personal note; my thrill was hearing Paul perform the piece solo at sound check in Montreal on August 12 2010 for his Up and Coming tour.