Trying To Make A Dove Tail Joint

The next song on the LP/CD "The Beatles" white album is another Lennon/McCartney original written mainly by John entitled "Glass Onion". This song included references to other - mainly McCartney written - titled that had been previously recorded by the Beatles including "Strawberry Fields Forever" "Lady Madonna" "Fixing a Hole" "I Am the Walrus" and "A Fool On The Hill". The lyrics were directed at Beatles fan who would dissect every word for supposed "meaning" or "clues". One of the lines in the songs states that the walrus was Paul. This lyric line was dedicated to Paul by John.

"Glass Onion" was first recorded as a basic track on Wednesday September 11 1968 at EMI studio two. The instrumentation included the drums and bass with acoustic and electric guitar. There were 34 takes and take 33 was chosen as the commercial version.

The next day on September 12 1968 at EMI studio two, John Lennon added his lead vocals and a tambourine was also overdubbed - all onto the basic take 33.

The next day on September 13 1968 and again from EMI studio two piano and an additional drum track were both overdubbed onto take 33.

On September 16 1968 at EMI studio two, an idea was created wereby a recorder would be added to the song where the mention in the lyrics of "The Fool On the Hill" as a sort of parody. The recorder was overdubbed at this session and double tracked.

On September 16 1968 from the control room of EMI studio two, it was decided to add some sound effects to "Glass Onion". These sound effects included a telephone ringing, a soccer announcer broadcasting "It's A Goal!" with a crowd cheering and finally a window being smashed. These sound effects happen mainly at the end of the song but some were sprinkled throughout the song. There were two mono mixes using the sound effects version but in the end none of them were used for the upcoming LP. One of the mono mixes can be heard on the Apple 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 3".

On October 10 1968 in EMI studio two, the sound effects were scrapped and eight string players were added at the end. This overdub was done on this date. Also completed on this date was the stereo mix in two attempts as well as the mono mix done in two attempts as well. Both of these mixes appeared on the respective LPs/CDs.

"Glass Onion" can be found on the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles" white album.

The Sun Is Up, The Sky Is Blue

The second song presented on "The Beatles" double White album is a Lennon-McCartney original composition written mainly by John entitled "Dear Prudence".

This song was written for a woman named Prudence who was the sister of Mia Farrow. While the Beatles were studying Transcendental Meditation in India, they noticed that Prudence was constantly meditating in her hut and she would never come out. There was a lot of competition to see who could meditate the longest while the Beatles were in India and I'm sure that Prudence won out most of the time. The noticeable time that Prudence meditated did not escape John Lennon as she was the inspiration for this song.

The guitar picking style used in the song was used by John Lennon as shown to him by their friend who also went to India to study Meditation Donavan. This picking style would be used in various forms on recordings by Lennon for the rest of his career.

The basic tracks for this song was started on Wednesday August 28 1968 at Trident House, St. Anne's Court in London. Trident studios at the time had an eight track machine and this was recorded on eight track, The Beatles realizing that EMI did not yet have a workable eight track maching installed in their studios. On this night, take 1 was completed with John and George playing their guitars with the picking style of John Lennon very evident while Paul played the drums.

The next day on August 29 1968, the Beatles returned to Trident Studios in order to overdub onto the eight track master of "Dear Prudence". On this evening/night the overdubs included Paul's bass, the double tracked lead vocals from John and backing vocals from Paul, George, Apple artist Jackie Lomax and Mal Evans. Handclaps and tambourine were also added.

Finally the next day on August 30 1968 again at Trident Studios, a piano track and a blast of fugelhorn were added to the recording and it was finished. Rough mixes of "Dear Prudence" were attempted on this night, but they remained unused. A rough mono mix can be heard on the Midnight Beat bootleg CD "Gone Tomorrow, Here today".

On Sunday October 13 1968 from EMI studio two, "Dear Prudence" was mixed for stereo after one attempt and the mono mix was completed after five attempts.

"Dear Prudence" can be found on the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles".

They Leave The West Behind

The first song on "The Beatles" is a Lennon/McCartney original composition written mainly by Paul and entitled "Back In The USSR". This song was probably written in India and is a bit of a sarcastic tongue-in-cheek parody of the surf/early Rock And Roll type Chuck Berry/Beach Boys number. Interestingly, Mike Love of the Beach Boys was present in India at the same time as The Beatles.

The basic track for the song was recorded on August 22 1968 at EMI studio two and the instrumentation consisted of Paul on drums (Ringo had temporarily left the group ), George on guitar and John on the bass guitar. It took 5 takes to perfect the recording.

The next evening on Friday August 23 1968, the recording of the song was brought to a conclusion with a reduction mix taking the song into take 6. Onto this were overdubbed two more drum tracks (played by George and John), two more guitar tracks (played by John and Paul) and two more bass tracks (played by Paul and George). John, Paul, and George essentially took turns playing the three instruments which were than mixed all together for the recording. More overdubs included a piano, the lead vocals by Paul and the backvocals by John and George (doo-wop style). Handclaps were also added. At the end of the session, a mono mix was completed and used on the commercial version. Four tape copies of the song were made and taken away by the Beatles' road manager.

The stereo mix for "Back In The USSR" was completed on October 13 1968 from EMI studio two.

"Back In The USSR" can be found on the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles White Album". It is also available on the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1967-1970" and on the compilation EMI/Capitol 2-LP set "Rock 'N' Roll Music". "Back In The USSR" was released as a single in the UK on June 25 1976 as Parlophone R 6016 with the B side being "Twist and Shout". "Back In The USSR" can also be found on the Apple/EMI/Capitol "Love" soundtrack.

The Beatles

"The Beatles" was the first double LP of original material released in the UK on November 22 1968. The LP was released three days later in North American on November 25 1968.

"The Beatles" was released on the Apple label (the first Beatles LP to do so) although the distribution of the Apple label was still handled by Parlophone in the UK and Capitol/ Capitol of Canada in the United States and Canada respectively.

"The Beatles" was released in two formats for the UK: A mono version ( PMC 7067/68 ) and a stereo version ( PCS 7067/68 ). "The Beatles" was released in only one format for North America: a stereo version (SWBO-101). There were no mono versions of "The Beatles" produced for the North American market.

"The Beatles" cover consisted of an all-white front and back with "The Beatles" embossed on the front and a serial number stamped onto the front cover. The numbers vary due to the various pressing plants manufacturing the cover as well as the country of origin. The LP also contained two vinyl records with a full Apple label on the first and third sides and half of a sliced Apple on the second and fourth sides. Due to the cover being completely white (although the numbering, the writing on the spine and the word "stereo" on the UK/north American stereo pressings are a light grey ). The double LP also came with four individual glossy photos of each Beatles and there was also a poster with a collage of photos on one side and the lyrics and credits on the other side. Due to the fact that the cover was wholly white, the double LP came to be known as "The White Album".

There are , of course, label variations. Original UK pressings came with the "Sold in UK..." print on the labels. Some US pressings have "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" simply written on the label as "Bungalow Bill".

"The White Album" is one of the top selling double LPs of all time.

The first recording session for the "White Album" was on Thursday May 30 1968 and the last recording session for the "White Album" was on Monday October 14 1968.

You Ain't Gonna Make It With Anyone Anyhow

The B-side of the Beatles second single of 1968 (and the first single on their Apple Label) was an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by John entitled "Revolution". The song was basically a political statement by Lennon and was switten during the Beatles' stay in India. The song was also demoed at George Harrison's home earlier in the year with the uptempo feel related to this single version rather than the later LP version (which was recorded first).

This single version was recorded after the first version that appears on the upcoming LP. The variant is much more uplifting and rough, rockier with distorted guitars and compressed drums.

The first session for "Revolution" took place on Wednesday July 10 1968 from EMI studio three whereby 10 takes of the song were completed. The electric guitars were not fed through amps but instead fed through the recording board itself with the channels overdriven giving the guitars that over-distorted sound. Ringo overdubbed his own drum part and a reduction mix of the four track tape was completed in three attempts bringing the song into take 13. John Lennon added his lead vocal (doubling it twice) while some handclaps and Ringo's hit in the third bar of the intro was completed. Now the reduction of the four track was completed with two attempts and bringing the song into take 15. This version of "Revolution" as it sounded at this time can be heard on the Yellow Dog bootleg CD "Unsurpassed Masters Volume 07".

The next day on Thursday July 11 1968 again from EMI studio three, the electric piano part and solo was performed by the incredible Nicky Hopkins. Once this was completed, the four track tape was reduced taking the song into take 16. Paul overdubbed his bass line during this session but he must not have been too happy with it as the overdub was not used on the commercial version.

The final overdubs for "Revolution" were completed the next day Friday July 12 1968 at EMI studio two. Paul once again overdubbed his bass guitar and John Lennon added some distorted guitar in certain spots including the high note at the end of the electric piano solo. Once this was completed, four mono mixes were attempted but none of them were used for the commercial version.

Three days later on Monday July 15 1968 at EMI studio two, two more mono mixes were attempted with the last mono mix being used for the single. It's an amazingly powerful mix with the compression and the heavy guitars being "in your face" so to speak.

The stereo mix for "Revolution" was completed almost a year and a half later on Friday December 05 1969 from room 4 at EMI studios. There was only one attempt at the stereo mix.

"Revolution" was originally released as a B-side of the "Hey Jude" single in the UK (Apple R 5722) and in North America (Apple 2276). The song was also available in North America only on the Apple compilation LP "Hey Jude/The Beatles Again" as well as the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1967-1970". The song can also be found on the EMI/Capitol 2-LP compilation "Rock 'N' Roll Music" as well as the EMI/Capitol/Apple 2-LP/CD "Past Masters Volume 2". The remastered Apple/EMI 2-CD "Mono Masters" and the stereo remastered Apple/EMI "Past Masters" also contain "Revolution". Finally, it can also be found on the Apple/EMI 2-LP/CD "Love" soundtrack.

The Beatles mimed to both sides of this single "Hey Jude/Revolution" which was originally featured in the UK on the "David Frost" show and in the US on the "Smothers Brothers" show. Both of these recordings featured the original backing track with live vocals.

Remember To Let Her Into Your Heart

The A-side of the second Beatles' single of 1968 was a definite masterpiece. This was the Beatles most successful single in their career (chart wise and volume wise). The song is an original Lennon/McCartney composition written mainly by Paul entitled "Hey Jude". This song was inspired by John Lennon's son Julian as Paul was driving out to John's home in order to console Julian and his mother Cynthia after the break up of John and Cynthia Lennon. The song title was sung as "Hey Jules" but was changed to "Hey Jude".

This single was also the first Beatles single released on their own Apple label. The A-side featured a whole Granny Smith Apple while the B-side of the label would featured half of a Granny Smith Apple. The label was designed by Gene Mahon. The vinyl format (45/EP and LP) were released on the original Apple Records label from 1968 until the end of 1975. The label once again became active in the early 1990s and the Apple label is now featured on many of the Beatles issues including LPs, CDs, DVDs, etc.

"Hey Jude" was recorded during the White Album sessions but was always intended as a contender for the single. It is also their longest single at over seven minutes.

The first recording session for "Hey Jude" took place on Monday July 29 1968 at EMI studio two. Six takes of the song were recorded. The instrumentation for these takes included Paul on piano and voice, John on acoustic, George on electric and Ringo on the drums. The complete takes of the song were on takes one, two and six. Take two of the song at this stage can be heard on the Apple/EMI/Capitol 3-LP/2-CD "Anthology 3".

The next day on Tuesday July 30 1968, more takes of "Hey Jude" were performed and this time the location of the recordings were at Trident Studios in St. Anne's Court, London. These takes ranged from take 7 to take 25. The specifics included a film crew being hired to film the Beatles recording the song although at this stage it sounds as if the Beatles are simply rehearsing the song. The instrumentation for this evening includes Paul on voice and piano, John on acoustic guitar and Ringo on drums. George had no role but was present in the control room as can be seen in the film. Some of the takes from this evening appear on Yellow Dog's "Unsurpassed Masters" series...namely volumes four and six. A stereo mix of the last take was completed and given to George Martin (probably for the orchestra arrangement).

The next day on Wednesday July 31 1968, the Beatles essentially started the song from scratch and recorded the basic track on this evening. Once again the song was recorded at Trident Studios. This was an eight track recording rather than using the four track at EMI. This instrumentation consisted of Paul on piano and guide vocal, John on acoustic and Ringo on drums . Take one was used for the commercial version.

The next day on August 01 1968, and again at Trident Studios, overdubs for the commercial recording of "Hey Jude" were completed. Paul added his bass guitar and his fresh vocals while John and George added background vocals. Also added this evening were the orchestra and the sing-along at the end with handclaps performed by the orchestra members.

The next day on Friday August 02 1968 the song was mixed for stereo from the control room at Trident Studios. It took three attempts and the last attempt was deemed as best.

"Hey Jude" was mixed for mono at Trident Studios on August 06 1968 from the control room but this mix was not used as it was simply a fold down of the stereo mix.

On August 07 1968, it was back to EMI studio two where a tape copy of the Trident mono mix was completed.

On August 08 1968, proper mono mixes (three attempts) continued from the control room of EMI studio two and the last one was deemed for the commerical version and the single. A tapy copy was made and given to George Martin.

On December 05 1969, proper stereo mixes were conducted from room 4 of EMI studios and two attempts were made. The mixes made at Trident were not used in the end.

"Hey Jude" was originally released as single in the UK (Apple R 5722) and in North America (Apple 2276). The song is also available on the North American Apple LP "Hey Jude/The Beatles Again" as well as the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1967-1970". It is also contained on the EMI/Capitol UK and North American version of "The Beatles 20 Greatest Hits" as well as being contained on the EMI/Capitol of Canada LP "The Beatles Ballads" and also on the Beatles EMI/Capitol 2-LP/CD "Past Masters Volume 2" and the Apple/EMI/Capitol 2-LP/CD "1". Finally, it can be found on the remastered Apple/EMI 2-CD "Mono Masters" as well as the remastered Apple/ EMI 2-CD "Past Masters"

The Farther One Travels

The original B side to the Beatles first single of 1968 is a George Harrison original composition entitled "The Inner Light". This is a song that has various Indian musicians and instruments and none of the Beatles play any instruments on this tune. The vocals are by the Beatles, however. This B side was the first B side to feature a George Harrison song. The lyrics for this song were inspired by a Japanese poem of the same name composed by Roshi.

The backing Indian instruments were recorded in India on Friday January 12 1968 at the Indian EMI recording studio, Universal Insurance Building, Bombay. There were five takes of this instrumental raga and the fifth take was used commercially. At this point the song remained untitled.

On Tuesday February 06 1968 back in London at EMI studio one, the instrumental tape was copied from two track to four track taking the song into take 06 and named "The Inner Light". Upon take 06 George Harrison added his main vocal. The song was then mixed for mono but not used commercially.

Two days later on February 08 1968 at EMI studio two, John and Paul harmonized with George on the two last vocal lines of the song. Once this was complete, three attempts at a mono mix were completed with the last mix being used commercially.

The song remained in mono until January 27 1970 when "The Inner Light" was finally mixed for stereo in one attempt from the control room of EMI studio two.

"The Inner Light" first appeared on the B side of the "Lady Madonna" single in the UK (Parlophone R 5675) and in North American (Capitol 2138). The song also appears on both the UK and North American versions of the Parlophone/Capitol "Rarities" LP and on the bonus Parlophone EP contained in the EP box set entitled "The Beatles" ( This was it's first official stereo appearance). Lastly, "The Inner Light" is also available on the EMI/Capitol 2-LP/CD "Past Masters Volume 2" as well as the Apple/EMI 2-CD "Mono Masters" and on the remastered stereo Apple EMI 2-CD "Past Masters".

A nice live version appears from 2002 from the George Harrison Tribute concert CD/DVD "Concert For George" performed by Jeff Lynne and a variety of Indian and western musicians.