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The recordings made by the Beatles, a rock group from Liverpool, England, from their inception as the Quarrymen in 1957 to their break-up in 1970 and the reunion of their surviving members in the mid-1990s, have huge cultural and historical value. The studio session tapes are kept at Abbey Road Studios, formerly known as "EMI Recording Studios," where the Beatles recorded most of their music. [1] While most have never been officially released, their outtakes and demos are seen by fans as collectables, and some of the recordings have appeared on countless bootlegs. The only outtakes and demos to be officially released were on The Beatles Anthology series and its tie-in singles and anniversary editions of their studio albums . Bits of some previously unreleased studio recordings were used in The Beatles: Rock Band video game as ambient noise and to give songs studio-sounding beginnings and endings. In 2013, Apple Records released the album The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963 , which includes previously unreleased outtakes and demos from 1963, to stop the recordings from falling into the public domain. [2]
Except where noted, all of the following songs are written by Lennon–McCartney and all single and album releases are for the United Kingdom.
In the spring or summer of 1958, The Quarrymen recorded two songs at Phillips' Sound Recording Services in their hometown of Liverpool. It was the group's first recording session, for which they paid 17s 6d (87.5p or £25.82 in 2023). [3] The recordings were pressed onto a mono 10-inch 78 rpm shellac disc*, then the sessions tapes were erased to be reused with new customers. Because of the low quality and age of the recordings, the songs are filled with a hiss but are still listenable. The record was not intended for release but for the Quarrymen's personal use.
When we got the record, the agreement was that we would have it for a week each. John had it a week and passed it on to me. I had it for a week and passed it on to George, who had it for a week. Then Colin had it for a week and passed it to Duff Lowe, who kept it for 23 years.
In 1981, Lowe sold the record to McCartney for an undisclosed amount. McCartney then had audio engineers attempt to improve the sound quality. [4] [5]
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The Quarrymen recorded several low-quality, homemade, mono demo tapes. [8] Those known to still exist are:
Although it is known that Lennon wrote "Winston's Walk" and that McCartney wrote "Ask Me Why" and "When I'm Sixty-Four" during this time, no demo tape of those compositions has ever turned up, but one is believed to exist.
As they did when they were the Quarrymen, the Beatles recorded several low-quality, homemade, mono demo tapes. The tapes are the only known recordings featuring their former bass guitarist Stuart Sutcliffe. From the 16 known demos made in early 1960 at McCartney's house, only three have been released. [9] [10] [11]
In Hamburg, Germany, during the Beatles' first stint there, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison recorded a song as the backing group for Lu Walters, the bassist from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. The Beatles' drummer, Pete Best, was not present, and Hurricanes drummer Ringo Starr played instead. It was the first time John, Paul, George and Ringo recorded music together. Sutcliffe was present at the session but did not play. The song was recorded in the small Akustik studio, in a similar arrangement to the Beatles' recordings at Phillips' Sound Recording Services. The song, with a spoken advertisement as the B-side, was pressed onto nine mono 78 rpm acetate discs. After the song was recorded, Walters, Starr, Ty Brian and Johnny Byrne, all in the Hurricanes, recorded "Fever" and "September Song". None of the recordings were ever released. The session tapes were most likely erased, and none of the discs are known to have survived. [12]
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In what is now the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, in the Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium (then known as Gymnasium für Jungen Harburg [English: Gymnasium for Boys in Harburg ]), during the Beatles' second stint in Hamburg, the group, under the name "the Beat Brothers", recorded several songs with English rock and roller Tony Sheridan for an album called My Bonnie , produced by Bert Kaempfert. After recording the songs with Sheridan, the Beatles recorded two songs by themselves. Sutcliffe attended the session but did not play. The session tapes have since been destroyed, but some of the songs have been issued on numerous singles, EPs and albums, both official and unofficial. Information on the recording dates is sketchy, [13] and much of the official documentation was lost in a fire. Sheridan later made more recordings with different backing musicians, resulting in some debate over which songs the Beatles are on. They are generally believed to appear on seven surviving tracks. [14] The various mixes of the recordings have appeared on many compilation albums and other releases. Atlantic Records added extra instruments to two songs for a release in 1964. To complete their contract, The Beatles made more recordings in Hamburg on 24 May 1962. [15]
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On New Year's Day, the Beatles recorded an audition for Decca Records in London at around 11am. They likely performed only one take of each song with no overdubbing. The Beatles did not pass the audition, but their manager, Brian Epstein, kept the reel-to-reel tapes to present to other record producers. Epstein arranged for the recordings to be pressed onto monoacetate discs, one of which was later heard by Parlophone producer George Martin, who offered them an audition which would turn out to be successful. The likely order of the songs was: [19] [20]
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After their previous sessions recording in Hamburg with Tony Sheridan for Bert Kaempfert, the Beatles returned for one final session to complete their contract. Only one song from this day has survived. The Beatles were accompanied by Roy Young, a pianist who had been playing with them at the Star-Club. Sheridan was not at the session, and he overdubbed his vocals on 7 June 1962 without the Beatles present. He re-recorded his vocals for "Sweet Georgia Brown" on 3 January 1964 to contain a reference to the Beatles' fame. [15] Atlantic Records added extra instruments for a release in 1964.
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After the Decca audition recordings came to the attention of EMI managers through the efforts of the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein, a recording contract was executed between Epstein and EMI's Parlophone record label. EMI would record a minimum of six single "sides" and the agreement would start on 6 June 1962, expiring a year later, but renewable.[ citation needed ] After the contract was signed, Parlophone record producer George Martin gave the Beatles an audition at EMI Studios in London, to assess their musical quality and respective vocal talents. The audition, held on 6 June, also acted as their first EMI recording session. They likely performed in Studio 2, the studio in which they would record most of their music. Because none of the recordings was considered worthy of release, the session tapes were destroyed per standard protocol; however, at least two mono recordings have since been discovered. Most documentation from the session has also been destroyed; however, it is known that four songs were recorded in an unknown number of takes. Ken Townsend, who would become a regular at the Beatles' recording sessions, was on duty in the technical department that day. Martin was not satisfied with Best's drumming, so Epstein and the other Beatles soon dismissed him from the group. This session was Best's only recording session at EMI before he was replaced by Ringo Starr. [25] A complete tape of this session surfaced after the death of sound engineer Geoff Emerick on 2 October 2018. Apparently Emerick took the tape home even though it was meant to have been destroyed. As of 2020 Emerick's family are involved in legal proceedings with Universal Music, current owners of the Beatles' back catalogue, as to who legally owns the tape.
6–8pm
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90 days after their EMI audition, the Beatles returned to EMI Studios, with their new drummer, Ringo Starr, to record their debut single in Studio 2. Before the session, they rehearsed five songs, including "Please Please Me", in Studio 3 with Ron Richards, between 2.30 and 5.30pm. They began work on Mitch Murray's "How Do You Do It", which Martin had chosen for them, but they disliked the song and wanted to release an original composition. They recorded at least two takes of "How Do You Do It" and at least 15 takes of "Love Me Do", then the best take of each song was mono mixed and pressed onto an acetate disc for Martin and Epstein to listen to. [26] The session tapes were later destroyed, as was common practice until 1963. [27] This session's version of "Love Me Do" was released as the Beatles' first single; however, it was later replaced with a version recorded seven days later, and the original was destroyed. [28] When the original was later released on compilations, it had to be sourced from an original mono 45 rpm single.
7–10pm
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Concerned with Ringo's drumming, the producers hired session drummer Andy White for another attempt at recording the Beatles' first single. In Studio 2, they recorded three songs with White drumming, while Ringo was relegated to maracas and tambourine. The best takes of "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You" were mono mixed. An unknown amount of takes of "Please Please Me" were also recorded but none was used. The session tapes were later destroyed, thus there are no true stereo versions of the songs, although at least one mono recording has been discovered. [27] Although the previous session's version of "Love Me Do" was originally released as the single, following the release of the EP The Beatles' Hits , it was replaced with the version from this session, and the original was destroyed. [30] "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You" were mixed in "fake stereo" on 25 February 1963 in the control room of Studio 1. [31] Although they were originally released in fake stereo on the stereo version of Please Please Me , modern remastered stereo releases contain the two songs in mono, as fake stereo has fallen out of style.
10am – 1pm
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On 26 November, over a month after the release of the first single, the Beatles returned to Studio 2 to record their second. After the successful recording of "Please Please Me", Martin spoke the now-famous line, "You've just made your first number one." In addition to the two sides of the single, they also performed an unknown number of takes of another original composition, "Tip of My Tongue", but Martin was unhappy with the arrangement. They never recorded it again and, instead, gave it to Tommy Quickly, another artist managed by Epstein. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" were mono mixed at an unknown time on 30 November in Studio 2. An edit and stereo mix of "Please Please Me" and a new mono and a stereo mix of "Ask Me Why" were made on 25 February 1963 in Studio 1, for inclusion on the mono and stereo versions of the Please Please Me album. [28] [31]
7–10pm
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On 11 February in Studio 2, the Beatles recorded almost the entirety of their debut album, Please Please Me, between 10am and 10.45pm. They also recorded several takes of "Hold Me Tight". Although in 1963, the convention of destroying session tapes after the final mixes were made had mostly ceased, the session's takes of "Hold Me Tight" were destroyed, as the song was left unused until seven months later when they re-recorded it for their next album. [33] [34] On 20 February in Studio 1, Martin recorded overdubs for "Misery" and "Baby It's You". The album was edited and mixed on 25 February in Studio 1. The song "Seventeen" was later retitled "I Saw Her Standing There". [31]
10am – 1pm
2.30–6pm
7.30–10.45pm
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10.30am – 1pm [31]
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10am – 1pm, 2.30–5.45pm [31]
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The Beatles recorded their third single on 5 March in Studio 2. They also wanted to record "What Goes On" and "The One After 909" (later retitled "One After 909"). In the end, only the latter was recorded, but the song remained unused until it was re-recorded during the Get Back / Let It Be sessions. [31] [37] "What Goes On" was later recorded for Rubber Soul . [38] On 13 March in Studio 2, Lennon recorded a harmonica overdub for "Thank You Little Girl" (later retitled "Thank You Girl"), the single's B-side, and the song was edited and mixed. The A-side, "From Me to You", was edited and mixed on 14 March in Studio 2. [39]
2.30–5pm
7–10pm
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10am – 1pm
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10am – 1pm [39]
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The Beatles recorded their fourth single, "She Loves You", on 1 July in Studio 2. The B-side, "Get You in the End", was later retitled "I'll Get You". The number of takes recorded is unknown, as the documentation and session tapes were later destroyed or lost. The songs were edited and mono mixed on 4 July in Studio 2. [40] No stereo mixes were ever made from the master recordings, and later stereo releases of the songs are in fake stereo or are combined with the recordings made on 13 March 1964 for the German-language version.
2.30–5.30, 7–10pm
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10am – 1pm [40]
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Studio 2 [41]
7.00–10.45pm
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Studio 2 [41]
10.00am – 1.30pm
5.00–11.00pm
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Studio 3 (control room) [41]
10.00am–1.00pm, 2.00–5.30pm [41]
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Studio 2 [41]
2.30–6.00pm
7.00–10.15pm
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Production staff: [41]
Studio 2 [41]
2.30–6.30pm
7.00–11.30pm
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Production staff: [41]
Studio 2 [41]
10.00am – 1.15pm [41]
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Studio 2 [41]
7.00–10.00pm
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Production staff: [41]
Studio 2 [41]
2.30–5.30, 7.00–10.00pm
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Production staff: [41]
Studio 1 [41]
10.00am – 1.00pm [41]
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Studio 2 [41]
10.00am – 1.00pm
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Studio 3 [41]
10.00am – 1.00pm [41]
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Studio 3 [41]
2.30–5.30pm [41]
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Room 53, EMI Studios, London (9.00am-12.00am) [87]
[158] There are no take numbers since they were not formal studio recording sessions, but rehearsals filmed for Let It Be . Some of the songs were released on later Beatles or solo records.
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Numerous improvisations were also recorded during these sessions.
Let It Be was put together from the Get Back sessions, documented above. Most songs do not have formal take numbers.
"Let It Be" LP release
Please Please Me is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released in the UK on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963. The album is 14 songs in length, and contains a mixture of cover songs and original material written by the partnership of band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
With the Beatles is the second studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 November 1963 on Parlophone, eight months after the release of the band's debut album, Please Please Me. Produced by George Martin, the album features eight original compositions and six covers. The sessions also yielded the non-album single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" backed by "This Boy". The cover photograph was taken by the fashion photographer Robert Freeman and has since been mimicked by several music groups. A different cover was used for the Australian release of the album, which the Beatles were displeased with.
A Hard Day's Night is the third studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 10 July 1964 by Parlophone, with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their film of the same name. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records, with a different track listing that included selections from George Martin's film score. In contrast to the Beatles' first two albums, all 13 tracks on A Hard Day's Night were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, showcasing the development of their songwriting partnership.
Geoffrey Ernest Emerick was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and Abbey Road (1969). Beatles producer George Martin credited him with bringing "a new kind of mind to the recordings, always suggesting sonic ideas, different kinds of reverb, what we could do with the voices".
"I Am the Walrus" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 television film Magical Mystery Tour. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released as the B-side to the single "Hello, Goodbye" and on the Magical Mystery Tour EP and album. In the film, the song underscores a segment in which the band mime to the recording at a deserted airfield.
A Collection of Beatles Oldies is a compilation album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released in the United Kingdom in December 1966, it features hit singles and other songs issued by the group between 1963 and 1966. The compilation served as a stopgap release to satisfy EMI's demand for product during the Christmas period, since the Beatles had only begun recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the follow-up to their Revolver album, late the previous month. It was the band's first official greatest hits collection, although the Beatles had no involvement in the album.
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions is a 1988 reference book on the English rock band the Beatles written by Mark Lewisohn. It was published by Hamlyn in the UK and by Harmony Books in the US.
"Love Me Do" is the debut single by the English rock band the Beatles, backed by "P.S. I Love You". When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom on 5 October 1962, it peaked at number 17. It was released in the United States in 1964 and topped the nation's song chart. Re-released in 1982 as part of EMI's Beatles 20th anniversary, it re-entered the UK charts and peaked at number 4. "Love Me Do" also topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand.
"I'm Only Sleeping" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 studio album Revolver. In the United States and Canada, it was one of the three tracks that Capitol Records cut from the album and instead included on Yesterday and Today, released two months before Revolver. Credited as a Lennon–McCartney song, it was written primarily by John Lennon. The track includes a backwards lead guitar part played by George Harrison, the first time such a technique was used on a pop recording.
"Thank You Girl" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was issued as the B-side of the single "From Me to You", which was recorded on the same day. While not released on an LP in the United Kingdom until Rarities in 1978, the song was the second track on The Beatles' Second Album in the United States. As the B-side of the single "Do You Want to Know a Secret", it hit No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1964.
"Good Morning Good Morning" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Inspiration for the song came to Lennon from a television commercial for Kellogg's Corn Flakes. Another reference to contemporary television was the lyric "It's time for tea and Meet the Wife", referring to the BBC sitcom.
"You're Going to Lose That Girl" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1965 album and film Help! Credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership, the song was mostly written by John Lennon with contributions from Paul McCartney.
"And I Love Her" is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It is the fifth track of their third UK album A Hard Day's Night and was released 20 July 1964, along with "If I Fell", as a single release by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Don't Bother Me" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1963 UK album With the Beatles. It was the first song written by George Harrison, the group's lead guitarist, to appear on one of their albums. A midtempo rock and roll song, it was originally released in the United States on the 1964 album Meet the Beatles!
"Hey Bulldog" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles released on their 1969 soundtrack album Yellow Submarine. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, but written primarily by John Lennon, it was finished in the recording studio by both Lennon and Paul McCartney. The song was recorded during the filming of the "Lady Madonna" promotional film, and, with "Lady Madonna", is one of the few Beatles songs based on a piano riff.
"If You've Got Trouble" is a song written by Lennon–McCartney and recorded by the Beatles on 18 February 1965 with Ringo Starr singing the lead vocal. The song was intended to be Starr's vocal appearance on the Help! album and the Help! film, but the Beatles were not happy with the recording and later chose to record "Act Naturally" instead. "If You've Got Trouble" remained unreleased until Anthology 2 in 1996.
"Christmas Time (Is Here Again)" is a Christmas song by the English rock band the Beatles, originally recorded for their fifth fan club Christmas record, Christmas Time Is Here Again! (1967). One of the few Beatles songs credited to all four members of the band, it consists of a blues based backing track as well as double-tracked vocals sung by them, George Martin and Victor Spinetti. The lyrics are mostly made up of the song's title refrain, repeated across nine verses.
The studio practices of the Beatles evolved during the 1960s and, in some cases, influenced the way popular music was recorded. Some of the effects they employed were sampling, artificial double tracking (ADT) and the elaborate use of multitrack recording machines. They also used classical instruments on their recordings and guitar feedback. The group's attitude towards the recording process was summed up by Paul McCartney: "We would say, 'Try it. Just try it for us. If it sounds crappy, OK, we'll lose it. But it might just sound good.' We were always pushing ahead: Louder, further, longer, more, different."
The Beatles in Mono is a boxed set compilation comprising the remastered monaural recordings by the Beatles. The set was released on compact disc on 9 September 2009, the same day the remastered stereo recordings and companion The Beatles were also released, along with The Beatles: Rock Band video game. The remastering project for both mono and stereo versions was led by EMI senior studio engineers Allan Rouse and Guy Massey.
"Komm, gib mir deine Hand" and "Sie liebt dich" are German-language versions of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You", respectively, by the English rock band the Beatles. Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the original English songs, credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, while Camillo Felgen wrote the translated German lyrics. Felgen is credited under several of his pen names. In places, his translations take major liberties with the original lyrics. Odeon Records released the German versions together as a non-album single in West Germany in March 1964. Swan Records released "Sie liebt dich", along with the original "She Loves You" B-side "I'll Get You", as a single in the United States in May 1964. Capitol included "Komm, gib mir deine Hand" as the closing track of the 1964 North American-only album Something New.