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Volume Two, 1966–1970
THE BEATLES’ RECORDED LEGACY JOHN C. WINN
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Copyright © 2009 by John C. Winn All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.crownpublishing.com Three Rivers Press and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Winn, John C. That magic feeling / John C. Winn.—1st pbk. ed. Includes bibliographical references and discography. p. cm. 1. Beatles—Discography. 2. Beatles—History—Chronology. I. Title. ML156.7.B4W547 2009 782.42166092'2—dc22 2008051921 ISBN 978-0-307-45239-9 Printed in the United States of America Design by Nancy Beth Field 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Paperback Edition
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
To purchase a copy of
That Magic Feeling
visit one of these online retailers: Amazon Barnes & Noble Borders IndieBound Powell’s Books Random House
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To the memory of my grandfathers, Sterling Winn and William Delorey
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CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PREFACE
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xi
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1966: Take This, Brother 1967: A Little Bit Older
1
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77
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1968: You Become Naked
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145
1969: Financial Imbalance
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237
1970: Will You Forgive Me?
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359
APPENDIX A:
Master Newsreel List for the Years 1966–1970 ■
383
APPENDIX B:
John Lennon’s Home Tapes 1966–1970
GLOSSARY
389
■
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY DISCOGRAPHY
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INDEX
397
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393
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387
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Although I had to do all the dirty work myself, such as transcribing press conferences, this book would simply not exist without the support and help of a lot of other people. First and foremost are Scott Raile and John McEwen. Scott has given me invaluable feedback on the majority of the manuscript, and has always been there to nitpick over the finer points of arcane Beatle trivia over the last twelve years. Were it not for John McEwen, you’d be reading a guide to audio recordings only—his expertise in the field of Beatles video and generosity in sharing the material are unparalleled. Other fellow Beatle fans and authors who provided encouragement, recordings, and facts include Mark Ashworth, Chazz Avery, Andrea Bucchieri, Jay Donnelly, Harald Gernhardt, Don Giller, Ted Greenwald, Randy Hall, Chris Hanzl, Walt Janeck, Mike Johnson, LRE King, Katz Kisaki, Tim Kocher, Allan Kozinn, Jason Kruppa, Mark Lewisohn, Chip Madinger, Warren Raab, Tim Riley, Bamiyan Shiff, Doug Sulpy, Dirk Van Damme, and Michael White. Special thanks to my agent, Matthew Elblonk, for his persistence in getting this revised edition published. A tip of the hat to Andrew Croft for helping to launch my writing career in the pages of his Beatlology magazine. Thanks to all my friends who have talked Beatles with me over the years: Oliver Graham, Chris Mirski, Dominic Robillard, Karyn O’Bryant, and especially Abby Dees. Lots of love to my parents, grandparents, and Aunt Cathy and Uncle Jim for helping to raise a fine Beatlemaniac. Finally, eternal gratitude to my best friend, Janis, for believing in me and giving me the confidence to have faith in myself and my abilities.
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PREFACE
This book is meant to be used in conjunction with Volume 1, so I won’t rehash the rationale and definitions from the earlier preface. But in case you’ve been able to acquire only this volume, here’s how a typical entry works:
6. Studio session
P, G
The header contains a number (sequential within each chapter—this would be the sixth entry for that year), followed by a categorical designation for the entry. In entries where less than all four Beatles participate in a recording, I’ve also included the capital letters of their first names (Paul and George in this instance). For this purpose, Pete Best and Jimmy Nicol count as official members, and all studio sessions for Beatle product are exempt from the rule (thus the entry for “Yesterday” is not labeled with a P, even though Paul is the only Beatle to sing or play). Date: Time: Location: Producer:
Studio session subentries are generally grouped into blocks of raw sessions followed by finished mixes. For the hypothetical song above, we have a continuous stereo recording of five takes, a mono recording of a later take, and a finished mono mix (RM stands for remix mono; RS for remix stereo) created January 30, 1964. For concert recordings and TV/radio performances, the songs are listed in the likely order of performance. “Intro” and “outro” can consist of stage patter or merely audience screaming between songs. All timings in this book are meant to be approximate, not definitive; when faced with different lengths on various sources, I always went with the recording closest to the presumed correct pitch.
Host: Interviewer: Broadcast: Length:
RELEASE HISTORY
These are all fairly straightforward, but note that the date of an entry is the final date new sound was added to a recording. For instance, most of the song “Slow Down” was recorded June 1, 1964, but it wasn’t completed until George Martin’s piano overdub three days later; thus it falls under June 4. Under Location, “EMI Studio 2” should be taken to read Abbey Road Studio 2, London; similar shortcuts are used for John’s (“Kenwood”), George’s (“Kinfauns”), and Ringo’s (“Sunny Heights”) London homes.
1964: C was released on a single and is available on a CD single of the same title. 1976: A and B surfaced on the vinyl bootleg Beatles Tut-Tut Album in very good quality. The release history is an attempt to show the genealogy of each recording. It always includes the first appearance, whether on a legitimate or bootleg source, any subsequent upgrades in sound quality or length, and the currently available commercial issues. Soundquality assessments are obviously subjective, and are meant for comparative purposes only.
[A.] Zip Your Zucchini—takes 2–6 (stereo) (3:55) [B.] Zip Your Zucchini—take 17 (mono) (2:19) [C.] Zip Your Zucchini—RM 8 (2:14) Mixed: 30 January 1964
Any questions, corrections, comments, or additions? Drop me a line at DinsdaleP@aol.com—I’m always glad to talk Beatle.
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1966: TAKE THIS, BROTHER
January 5
John Lennon attends a party at the home of singer P. J. Proby in London.
January 8
While Paul visits his family in Liverpool, the rest of the Beatles attend a party at Mick Jagger’s London townhouse.
January 12
John and Ringo fly to Port of Spain, Trinidad, for a vacation with their wives. George and Pattie nightclub at Dolly’s disco with Mick Jagger.
January 21
George marries Patricia Ann Boyd at Esher Register Office; in a reversal of Ringo’s wedding, Paul is the only other Beatle in the country and stands in as best man. A reception follows at Kinfauns.
January 23
John and Ringo return to London from their vacation in Trinidad.
January 31
Paul and George, with Jane and Pattie, attend the premiere of the play How’s the World Treating You? at Wyndham’s Theatre in London.
February 3
Paul attends Stevie Wonder’s show at the Scotch of St. James nightclub.
February 4
George and Pattie attend the play Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs at the Garrick Theatre.
February 8
Newlyweds George and Pattie fly from London to Barbados for their honeymoon.
February 12
John and Ringo nightclub at the Scotch of St. James.
February 13
John, Paul, and Ringo attend a party at Brian Epstein’s house.
February 21
U.S. release of “Nowhere Man”/“What Goes On” single.
February 23
Paul attends a performance of electronic music by Luciano Berio at the Italian Institute.
February 25
George and Pattie return to London from their Barbados honeymoon.
March 4
UK release of Yesterday EP. Maureen Cleave’s interview with John is published in the Evening Standard. Buried in the middle of the piece is the following quote from John: “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now. I don’t know which will go first—rock-and-roll or Christianity.” Reaction is minimal in Britain; when read within the context of the entire article, the statement is less inflammatory.
March 6
Paul and his girlfriend, Jane Asher, fly from London to Klosters, Switzerland, for a brief ski vacation.
March 20
Paul and Jane return to London.
March 24
The Beatles, their wives, and Brian Epstein attend the premiere of the film Alfie (in which Paul’s girlfriend, Jane Asher, plays a small role) at the Plaza Haymarket Cinema.
March 25
Robert Whitaker shoots a series of photos of the Beatles at Oluf Nissen’s studio in the Vale, Chelsea. Most notably, the group pose in butchers smocks surrounded by raw meat and dismembered baby dolls.
March 26
Paul and his brother Michael watch their father’s racehorse win the Hylton Plate at Aintree Race Course.
March 28
George and Ringo attend Roy Orbison’s concert at the Walthamstowe Granada Cinema.
April 1
John and Paul visit the Indica Gallery, which opened the previous month with a £5,000 contribution from Paul.
April 6
Sessions for the Revolver LP begin at EMI Studios.
April 18
John and George attend the Lovin’ Spoonful’s concert at the Marquee Club.
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The Beatles give their final British concert, performing at the New Musical Express Poll Winners’ Concert at the Empire Pool. Though most of the show is videotaped for ABC, the Beatles’ set goes undocumented due to contractual disputes.
May 19
John and Paul, along with Keith Moon, spend all night listening to the advance copy of Pet Sounds, brought over by Beach Boy Bruce Johnston.
May 20
John and Cynthia attend a party in London with Mick Jagger.
May 27
John and Bob Dylan are filmed in the backseat of Dylan’s limo en route from John’s Weybridge home to the May Fair Hotel. That night, John and George attend Bob Dylan’s concert at the Royal Albert Hall; later, Paul, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones socialize at Dolly’s, a nightclub.
May 30
U.S. release of “Paperback Writer”/“Rain” single. John’s limo is pulled over for speeding while attempting to evade a carful of Beatles fans.
May 31
Ringo is photographed at home for Beatles Monthly magazine.
June 1
George attends Ravi Shankar’s concert at the Royal Albert Hall; soon afterward they meet for the first time at Peter Sellers’s home.
June 10
UK release of “Paperback Writer”/“Rain” single.
June 16
Paul purchases a farm near the Mull of Kintyre in Campbeltown, Scotland. The Beatles receive cholera vaccinations (for their upcoming far eastern tour) at BOAC Air Terminal, Victoria Railway Station.
June 20
U.S. release of “Yesterday” . . . And Today LP.
June 22
The Beatles attend the pre–opening night celebrations at Sibylla’s, a nightclub cofinanced by George.
June 23
The Beatles fly from London to Munich to begin their final world tour.
June 27
The Beatles fly from Hamburg to London Airport to catch a connecting flight to Japan, their next scheduled destination. A decidedly unscheduled typhoon reroutes them to Alaska, where they spend the night at a hotel in Anchorage.
July 3
The Beatles fly from Tokyo to Manila with a stopover in Hong Kong.
July 4
The Beatles offend Imelda, wife of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos, by missing a ceremonial luncheon at Malacañang Palace.
July 5
The Beatles are harassed by police, government officials, and angry mobs as they make their way to the airport without the promised escorts. They fly from Manila to India via Bangkok, arriving at New Delhi to hundreds of Indian Beatles fans, much to their bewilderment.
July 8
The Beatles return to London Airport in the early morning hours. UK release of Nowhere Man EP.
July 29
Datebook, a U.S. teen fan magazine, publishes Maureen Cleave’s March 4 interview with John, under the misleading banner headline “More Popular Than Jesus.”
August 2
George visits his mother-in-law’s home in Devon.
August 5
UK release of Revolver LP. UK release of “Yellow Submarine”/“Eleanor Rigby” single.
August 8
U.S. release of Revolver LP. U.S. release of “Yellow Submarine”/“Eleanor Rigby” single.
August 11
The Beatles fly from London to Chicago (via Boston) for their final concert tour; that night, John explains his remarks about religion, with a pair of remarkable press conferences at the Astor Towers Hotel in Chicago.
August 19
At the evening concert at Memphis’s Mid-South Coliseum, a cherry bomb is thrown onstage during “If I Needed Someone.”
August 29
The last Beatles concert, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, is taped by press officer Tony Barrow on a C-60 cassette with a portable recorder pointed toward the general direction of the stage. On the
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flight back to Los Angeles after the show, the Beatles agree to cease touring for at least the immediate future. August 30
The Beatles fly overnight from Los Angeles to London.
August 31
The Beatles arrive back at London Airport.
September 5
John flies to Hanover, West Germany, to the set of How I Won the War.
September 6
John has his hair cropped into a crew cut for his role as Private Gripweed; filming begins for How I Won the War.
September 14
Shooting of How I Won the War concludes at Celle, West Germany. George and Pattie Harrison fly to Bombay to study yoga and meditation; George also begins sitar lessons under the guidance of Ravi Shankar.
September 15
Paul attends a free-form music concert at the Royal College of Art. John and Neil Aspinall travel to Paris.
September 16
Paul and Brian Epstein join John and Neil for the weekend.
September 18
John and Neil travel to Almeria, Spain, to continue filming How I Won the War.
September 19
George holds a press conference at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay. Shooting for How I Won the War continues on location in Carboneras, in southern Spain.
September 27
October 4
Brian Epstein checks in to the Priory Hospital for recuperation and a complete physical following his apparent suicide attempt earlier in the month. Ringo and Maureen fly from London to Spain and join John on the set of How I Won the War.
October 15
Dressed in an Arabian costume, Paul attends the opening night celebration for the underground paper International Times, held at the Roundhouse in London.
October 22
George and Pattie fly from India to London.
October 26
George welcomes Ravi Shankar on the arrival of Ravi’s flight at London Airport.
October 31
Donovan arrives at George’s bungalow for a week-long visit.
November 6
John’s last day of location shooting How I Won the War. Paul flies from Kent to France and spends a week driving through the countryside before meeting up with Mal Evans at Bordeaux.
November 7
John flies from Madrid to London.
November 9
John is formally introduced to Yoko Ono, the artist of Unfinished Paintings and Objects, the day before the avant-garde exhibit opens at the Indica Gallery.
November 11
John and Cynthia attend a Ben E. King performance at the Scotch of St. James nightclub.
November 12
Paul and Mal drive from Bordeaux to Spain, where they had intended to visit John on the film set. Since his part has wrapped early, they drive to Seville, fly to Madrid, have a layover in Rome, and finally arrive in Nairobi, Kenya, for a safari vacation.
November 19
Paul and Mal Evans return to London from their African safari.
November 20
John and George attend a party in honor of the Four Tops at Brian Epstein’s house.
November 24
The Beatles reconvene at EMI Studios for new sessions, beginning with “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and culminating in the LP Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
December 1
Paul attends the Young Rascals show at the Scotch of St James nightclub.
December 2
Paul attends another Young Rascals show at Blaises nightclub in the Imperial Hotel.
December 9
UK release of A Collection of Beatles Oldies LP.
December 16
UK release of Pantomime: Everywhere It’s Christmas, the Beatles’ fourth annual Christmas flexi-disc for fan club members.
December 18
Paul and Jane Asher attend the world premiere of the film The Family Way at the Warner Cinema. Paul composed the movie’s incidental score.
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George, Pattie, Brian Epstein, Eric Clapton, and friends decide to take their patronage elsewhere after George is refused admittance to Annabel’s, an upscale nightclub, for not wearing a tie. Instead, the party rings in 1967 at J. Lyons & Co., a small restaurant in southern Soho.
1. Studio session Date: Location: Producer: Broadcast:
[A.] [B.] [C.] [D.] [E.] [F.] [G.]
5 January 1966 CTS Studios, London George Martin 1 March 1966, 8:00–8:50 p.m. BBC1 The Beatles at Shea Stadium
having a ball trying to re-create his manic elbow stylings. Both E and F were completely rerecorded by the whole band, and the studio atmosphere is most evident on these numbers, although they do a good job of investing the songs with concert-level energy. It’s not clear whether any overdubbing was done to G, and as “A Hard Day’s Night” was largely obscured by dialogue, it was left untouched. There wasn’t time to fix up “Twist and Shout” or “Act Naturally,” so earlier recordings were added to the soundtrack. In the case of “Twist and Shout,” Capitol’s 1965 Hollywood Bowl recording was deemed suitable, but “Act Naturally” proved more difficult. A couple of shows into the tour, the group had dropped the song in favor of “I Wanna Be Your Man,” and thus no suitable live recording existed. Instead, the original studio version was sweetened with crowd noise and dropped in. Although the record featured acoustic rather than electric rhythm guitar, it’s doubtful many viewers noticed the difference.
Dizzy Miss Lizzy (2:47) Can’t Buy Me Love (2:05) Baby’s in Black (2:07) I’m Down (2:07) I Feel Fine (2:06) Help! (2:19) Ticket to Ride (2:14)
Although it wasn’t exactly publicized at the time, the Beatles didn’t cover up the fact that most of the Shea concert film had to be overdubbed in a studio due to technical limitations. To their credit, they had already refused to release both Hollywood Bowl concerts recorded by Capitol for similar reasons, but with NEMS putting their own money into the Shea project (via Subafilms), the group was persuaded to bring the recordings up to par. This was achieved in a London film-dubbing studio, with George Martin at the helm and the Beatles doing their best to match their new vocals and instrumental tracks to the images on celluloid. Paul beefed up his bass tracks for A–D, with John also fortifying his organ on the latter song, probably
RELEASE HISTORY
The Beatles at Shea Stadium soundtrack has been released on dozens of bootlegs over the years; the earliest titles on vinyl included Shea, the Good Old Days and the misleading Last Live Show. The best CD source is probably Shea!/Candlestick Park.
2. Newsreel footage
G
Date: 22 January 1966 Location: London Broadcast: 22 January 1966 ITV Length: 0:59
knitted beret, as the couple sit on a desk and kiss for the benefit of photographers. As Tony Barrow struggles to control proceedings in the background, George professes his desire to take things slow when it comes to starting a family.
As Ringo had a year earlier, George consented to meet the press the day following his wedding to Patricia Boyd. This ITV News footage from the press conference captures the newlyweds’ entrance, Pattie sporting a
RELEASE HISTORY
This footage was included on the video compilation Beatles 1962 to 1970.
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3. Interview
G
Date: 22 January 1966 Location: London Broadcast: 25 February 1966 WABC-AM, New York City Length: 1:45
Pattie says she wants to have three children, which prompts George to sing a line from Len Barry’s recent hit “1-2-3” (ironically, Barry’s follow-up single, which entered Billboard’s Top 40 this very day was titled “Like a Baby”!). Pattie patiently answers a couple of patronizing questions before smooching George for the benefit of ABC’s cameras.
One interview from this press conference seems to originate from an ABC-TV report with an unknown American journalist. George doubts that the marriage will have much of an impact on the Beatles’ popularity, hoping that the fans are becoming more interested in the music and less concerned with their personal lives. He also refuses to rise to the bait when the reporter presses him to speculate about Paul’s marriage plans.
RELEASE HISTORY
This interview circulates among collectors in good quality from a radio rebroadcast on George’s twentythird birthday.
4. Interview
G
Date: 22 January 1966 Location: London Length: 1:47
duce any progeny during their eleven-year marriage. The newlyweds then recount their meeting on the film set of A Hard Day’s Night, with George revealing that Pattie snubbed him on his initial request for a date.
In this interview for a Reuters newsreel, Pattie expresses a wish to remain away from the public eye, much as Cynthia and Maureen were doing. She reiterates her desire to have three children (“Thirty-nine,” interjects George), but sadly the couple failed to pro-
RELEASE HISTORY
1996: 46 seconds of this interview was released on Fab Four CD & Book Set. The full clip circulates on video.
4a. Newsreel footage
G
Date: 22 January 1966 Location: London Length: 4:37
off her wedding ring for the cameras. At the end, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison squeeze onto a couch with the new Mr. and Mrs. Harrison and pose for further pictures.
British Pathe’s archive has several minutes of silent footage of the newlyweds’ press conference, including shots of George’s parents, Brian Epstein, and Tony Barrow watching the proceedings, and Pattie showing
RELEASE HISTORY
This silent footage circulates on video.
5. Newsreel footage
G
Date: 8 February 1966 Location: London Airport Length: 0:23
flight, George in a casual suit and Pattie in a mod black-and-white outfit with stylish shades. RELEASE HISTORY
George and his new bride decided to wait a couple of weeks before taking off to Barbados for a lengthy honeymoon. Cameras followed the couple through the terminal at London Airport to the steps of their BOAC
This footage circulates on video, and was included in ITV’s Reporting ’66: End of Beatlemania.
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6. Speech
G
Date: ca. 25 February–early March 1966 Location: London Length: 0:46
RELEASE HISTORY
1966: This recording was issued on a 7-inch flexi-disc, Die Goldenen OTTO-Sieger 1966, included with issue 13 of Bravo magazine, dated March 21. It’s been copied on numerous bootlegs such as Beatles 4 Ever and Live at the Circus Crone.
At some point early in the year, George agreed to record a brief message of thanks for the readers of Bravo, the magazine that would sponsor their upcoming tour of Germany. The message is spoken entirely in German, and George was probably chosen to be the spokesman because he was easily the Beatle most fluent in that language.
7. Interview Date: Time: Location: Interviewer: Broadcast: Length:
25 March 1966 3:00–3:30 p.m. The Vale, London Tom Lodge Radio Caroline 20:52
ingly sniggers about “poiple hearts . . . All them pop groups take ’em.” In fact, when Ringo’s earnest answer to a question about answering mail induces riotous laughter for no apparent reason, it appears some of the lads may be high, and the tape is switched off. As we rejoin them, Tony Barrow is heard admitting he has nothing particular in mind for this recording, which is a pity for anyone having to listen to the next fifteen minutes. Such “wacky” jokes as Paul’s twins, ages “four and five,” and having Gershwin and Trotsky ghostwrite their songs, come across as forced rather than whimsical. In desperation, Lodge even asks Ringo when he first had sex! Even more embarrassing are his attempts to get the Fabs to send greetings to other Radio Caroline DJs; they obviously don’t listen to his station and recognize almost none of the names, although John is sure they used to work with Tony Blackburn. After requesting “Green Door,” a 1956 hit for Jim Lowe, and “Priscilla,” a hit for Eddie Cooley and the Dimples the same year, they make a dedication to Donny Andrews, bassist for the Liverpool group the Remo Four. Finally, the conversation turns toward politics, and George struggles to make some valid points about military spending and the BBC’s monopoly on terrestrial radio. But in the end, only a fraction of this tape was suitable for the flexi-disc.
Once Paul returned from his Swiss skiing holiday, the Beatles could begin convening after a long respite. One of the first such occasions was around this time at NEMS’s offices, when the “trunk photo” eventually used on the “Yesterday” . . . And Today album cover was shot. But of course, the alternate picture that initially graced the sleeve was much different, stemming from a March 25 session with photographer Robert Whitaker. Before donning the butcher smocks and gathering the doll parts and raw meat, however, a somewhat unwelcome publicity task awaited the group. Brian Epstein was half owner in the newly merged Disc and Music Echo paper, and to promote its inauguration, a free flexi-disc single would be mailed as a premium to readers who sent in coupons. The disc, titled Sound of the Stars, was to feature interviews with a number of British pop stars. With Epstein’s involvement, and NEMS’s Tony Barrow producing the recording, the Beatles’ participation seemed mandatory. At least that’s how it sounds during the unedited interview, with none of the group having anything interesting to say, and Radio Caroline DJ Tom Lodge having no interesting questions to pose. Instead, he tries desperately to fill time, receiving little assistance from his interview subjects. As the tape begins, Lodge asks such inane questions as “What’s it like being a Beatle?” and “What do you think of this microphone?” John, just starting to use LSD recreationally around this time, mentions “hallucinations,” and Paul know-
RELEASE HISTORY
1966: The flexi-disc Sound of the Stars contained excerpts from this interview; a bit at the start of side 1 and a further 1:37 to close out side 2. 1996: The unedited source tape was released on the CD Don’t Touch That Dial 2.
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8. Home demo
P
Date: ca. late March 1966 Location: 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone
“I’m Looking Through You,” which may mean even more material from 1965 was being taped over. Paul recalls writing the melody to “Eleanor Rigby” on the upright piano in the Ashers’ basement music room (the same piano he and John had used to compose “I Want to Hold Your Hand”), by “vamping an E-minor chord.” The demo sounds a half step lower in pitch, with Paul’s double-tracked vocal accompanied by his acoustic guitar. The circulating excerpt consists of the refrain “All the lonely people/Where do they all come from?/All the lonely people/Where do they all belong?” The full demo reportedly includes the working lyric “Father McCartney” during the second verse; hopefully the unedited tape will appear someday to verify that fact.
[A.] Eleanor Rigby (0:16)
In March 1966, as Paul was helping Barry Miles set up the Indica Bookshop, the two discussed setting up a recording studio that could be used by poets and experimental musicians. Paul ended up installing a pair of Revox tape recorders in a flat Ringo was leasing, where this demo fragment was most likely recorded. In Paul’s authorized biography, Many Years from Now, Barry Miles writes: “Paul recorded most of the demo versions of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ at the experimental recording studio that he had set up in Marylebone.” The tape originally contained Paul’s off-air copy of the documentary The Beatles at Shea Stadium, aired March 1 on BBC TV. Sometime in the following weeks, Paul erased the tape’s first two minutes with a guitar demo of his new composition. According to their chauffeur Alf Bicknell, the Beatles taped demos at George’s home on April 10, 1966; this may also come from that session. Following the Shea documentary, the tape apparently concludes with an instrumental resembling
RELEASE HISTORY
2001: This recording turned up out of the blue on a tape being auctioned via the Internet. The sample clip was available on the website www.beatles-auction.com. 2002: A was included on the CD-R As It Happened, Baby!
8a. Home demo
P
Date: ca. 1966 Location: 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone
“Carousel of Light” at one point. While this phrase is fairly close to Carnival of Light, the January 1967 festival to which Paul contributed a Beatles sound collage, this is most definitely not that recording.
[A.] tape experiments (4:14)
In the same vein as the “Eleanor Rigby” demo, but far less structured, is this recording of Paul and various friends fooling around with his Revox machines in the basement studio. Playing with the tape echo, Paul babbles in various silly accents (Scouse, Irish, and so on), with his mates chiming in here and there. Although the recording date is unknown, Paul does mention the
RELEASE HISTORY
2004: On June 12, BBC Radio 4’s series The Archive Hour broadcast Barry Miles’s documentary Z Is for Zapple, which opened and closed with this recording. The entire show circulates on CD-R.
9. Studio session Date: Time: Location: Producer:
[B.] Tomorrow Never Knows—monitor mix of take 1 (mono) (2:02)
6 April 1966 8:00 p.m.–1:15 a.m. EMI Studio 3 George Martin
The sessions for Revolver started off with a bang this evening thanks to a recording that would end up lyrically, melodically, and sonically unlike anything the Beatles had attempted before. It began life with the
[A.] Tomorrow Never Knows—take 1 (stereo) (3:13)
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unassuming working title “Mark I,” and John, its author, already had some idea of how he wanted it to sound, although getting it right took some doing. For this first attempt (A), a simple tape loop of slowed-down guitar and resonant percussion was prepared to drone and scrape away in the background. With George Martin’s “Here it comes” playback warning, Ringo and Paul added a simple but relentless drum and bass backing on top of this, the result all going on track 1 of the four-track tape. John also sang a guide vocal on track 4, but seems to have been listening to the loop in his headphones rather than what Paul and Ringo were playing, as his vocal lags behind throughout. A monitor mix of this take (B) appears in two segments on the Anthology DVD, as George Martin plays back the tape with Paul, George, and Ringo at Abbey Road, occasionally isolating each of the two tracks. Although the recording as it stood was already revolutionary by their standards, John had something more extreme in mind. By take 3, a satisfactory backing track was laid down on track 1 of the tape. This consisted of Ringo’s drums and Paul’s bass, this time
without any accompanying tape loop. John wanted a more ethereal sound on his vocal than mere doubletracking could give him (something akin to thousands of chanting monks or the Dalai Lama atop a mountain). Presumably, with no Himalayas nearby, the closest thing at hand in Studio 3 was the swirling sound of the Hammond organ’s rotating Leslie speaker. Much to his delight, when John’s voice was fed through the Leslie, it produced the desired gyrating tone, and he recorded a lead vocal on track 4 of the tape, with the Leslie effect switched on for the second half of the song. Alongside this, George played a tamboura drone on the same track. There was more work to be done, but that would have to wait for the following day. RELEASE HISTORY
1996: A was officially released on Anthology 2. 2003: B was released on the soundtrack of the Anthology DVD.
10. Studio session Date: Time: Location: Producer:
7 April 1966 8:15 p.m.–1:30 a.m. EMI Studio 3 George Martin
break near the end was for now a repeated “I need your love” in rising harmony. Although take 5 (A) was temporarily marked “best,” they started again the next day with a slightly different arrangement. With only two tracks of the tape filled this evening, the version released on Anthology 2 is understandably in mono; if you listen closely, there appears to be a second organ part mixed out (clicking keys can be heard) that duplicates the eventual brass line after each refrain. In addition, 21 seconds from the end of this take was included in the Anthology documentary; although the music overlaps entirely with the CD, the vocal track is left up a bit longer, allowing us to hear Paul’s comment “D’you want to do another one, George?” as well as a bit more clowning from John and George.
[A.] Got to Get You into My Life—take 5 (mono) (2:52)
Today’s afternoon session saw an important addition to “Mark I” as each Beatle arrived with several tape loops of various sped-up and distorted guitars and sound effects such as wine glasses being rubbed. Five of these were placed on different mono machines, the tension taken up by people holding pencils. These signals were all patched into a mixer controlled by the group’s new recording engineer Geoff Emerick, who alternated among the signals and fed the results onto track 2 of the “Mark I” tape. Track 3 of the tape would not be filled for a couple more weeks. This evening session was devoted to Paul’s ode to marijuana, “Got to Get You into My Life.” By the fifth take, a basic track of acoustic guitar, drums, and George Martin on organ was completed, with added vocals: Paul’s lead and some nice harmonies from John and George. The song was lyrically complete at this stage, with the additional words “somehow, someway,” after the title line; what would eventually be a guitar
RELEASE HISTORY
1996: A was officially released on Anthology 2. The excerpt with extra vocals was also released on the Anthology home video the same year; it can be found on the bootleg CD Abbey Road Video Show. Its appearance on the Anthology DVD has been ruined by aligning the vocal and music tracks out of sync.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John C. Winn has studied the Beatles’ recordings for more than thirty years, and has
written six books and numerous articles about the band’s musical output. He was born in Berkeley, California, and currently lives in Vermont, surrounded by thousands of Beatles CDs, LPs, cassettes, DVDs, books, and magazines. His favorite album is Revolver.
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ALSO BY JOHN C. WINN
THE FIRST VOLUME OF A UNIQUE WORK THAT EXHAUSTIVELY CHRONICLES ALL KNOWN AND AVAILABLE BEATLES RECORDINGS Way Beyond Compare is the key to unlocking the secrets behind every known Beatles recording in circulation through 1965, telling you where to find them, what makes them unique, and how they fit within the context of the Beatles’ amazing musical and cultural journey.
WAY BEYOND COMPARE THE BEATLES’ RECORDED LEGACY, VOLUME ONE, 1957–1965 $26.95 paper ($32.00 Canada) 978-0-307-45157-6
Available from Three Rivers Press wherever books are sold.
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
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That Magic Feeling
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