Draft:The Beatles' recording sessions (1958–1962)

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For the book by Mark Lewisohn, see The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions.

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.

1958

Phillips' Sound Recording Services

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.

  • To clear up a long-standing misconception, this disc is not a "shellac" disc as has been previously reported, but a recording lacquer (also known as an "acetate".) A "lacquer" is an aluminum based disc with a thin coating of lacquer applied, that allows for sound grooves to be etched (or cut) into it. See the Wikipedia article at Acetate disc. There's also an excellent website devoted to the Phillips' Recording Service at https://www.percyphillips.co.uk/

[4][5]

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.

— Paul McCartney, The Beatles Anthology[4][5]

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]

Recordings[6][7]
Personnel[4][5]

Musicians:

Production staff:

1960

The Quarrymen Demos

The Quarrymen recorded several low-quality, homemade, mono demo tapes.[8] Those known to still exist are:

  • "I'll Always Be in Love with You"
  • "One After 909" with Mike McCartney (1:42)
    • Another demo of "One After 909" is known to exist.
  • "Some Days"
  • "Well, Darling" (5:11)
  • "Wildcat"
  • John Lennon's spoken nonsense with radio

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.

Early Beatles Homemade Recordings

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]

Recordings[9][10][11][7]
Personnel[9][10][11]

Akustik Studio Recordings

15 October 1960

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]

Recordings[12]
Personnel[12]

Musicians:

  • George Harrison – guitar
  • John Lennon – guitar
  • Paul McCartney – guitar
  • Ringo Starr – drums
  • Lu Walters – vocals, bass guitar

1961

1st Tony Sheridan Recordings

22–24 June 1961

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]

Recordings[13][14][7]
  • "My Bonnie" (trad. arr. Sheridan) (English intro) with Tony Sheridan
    • Stereo mixed
      • Mono mixdown – released on as a single on 5 January 1962
      • Edited (intro removed) and stereo mixed (1964)
      • Edited (spoken word by McCartney superimposed over the intro) and stereo mixed (1990s) – released on Anthology 1 (2:42)
  • "My Bonnie" (German intro) with Tony Sheridan
    • Stereo mixed
      • Mono mixdown – released on as a single on 23 October 1961 (Germany)
  • "The Saints" (trad. arr. Sheridan) with Tony Sheridan
    • Stereo mixed
      • Mono mixdow – released as the B-side to "My Bonnie"
        • Fake stereo mixed (1964)
  • "Why (Can't You Love Me Again)" (Sheridan) with Tony Sheridan
    • Stereo mixed
      • Mono mixdown
        • Fake stereo mixed (1964)
  • "Nobody's Child" (Coben–Foree) with Tony Sheridan
    • Stereo mixed
      • Mono mixdown
        • Edited (1964)
          • Fake stereo mixed (1964)
  • "Take Out Some Insurance on Me, Baby" (Hall–Singleton) with Tony Sheridan
    • Stereo mixed
      • Mono mixdown
        • Edited, extra instruments added and mono mixed (1964)
          • Fake stereo mixed (1964)
  • "Ain't She Sweet" (Ager–Yellen)
    • Stereo mixed
      • Mono mixdown
        • Extra drums added and mono mixed (1964) – released on Anthology 1 (2:13)
          • Fake stereo mixed (1964)
  • "Cry for a Shadow" (Lennon–Harrison)
    • Stereo mixed – released on Anthology 1 (2:22)
      • Mono mixdown
        • Fake stereo mixed (1964)
Personnel[16][17][18]

Musicians:

Production staff:

1962

Decca Audition

1 January 1962

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]

Recordings[21][7][22]
Personnel[23][24]

Musicians:

  • Pete Best – drums
  • George Harrison – vocals, lead guitar
  • John Lennon – vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Paul McCartney – vocals, bass guitar

Production staff:

  • Mike Smith – producer

2nd Tony Sheridan Recordings

24 May 1962

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.

Recordings[21][15]
  • "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Bernie–Pinkard–Casey, arr. McCartney)
    • Vocal overdub by Sheridan (7 June 1962)
      • Stereo mixed
        • Mono mixdown
    • Vocal overdub by Sheridan (3 January 1964)
      • Stereo mixed (1964)
        • Mono mixdown (1964)
          • Extra instruments added and mono mixed (1964)
            • Fake stereo mixed (1964)
  • "Swanee River" (Foster) – lost
Personnel

Musicians:[15]

  • Pete Best – drums
  • George Harrison – backing vocals, guitar
  • John Lennon – backing vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Paul McCartne – backing vocals, bass guitar
  • Roy Young – piano

Production staff:

  • Bert Kaempfert – producer

EMI Artist Test

6 June 1962

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.

Recordings[25][7]

6–8pm

  • "Bésame Mucho" (Velázquez/Skylar) (take 1) – destroyed
    • Mono mixed (take 2)
      • Edited (1980s) – released on Anthology 1 (2:37)
  • "Love Me Do" (takes 1-3) – destroyed
    • Mono mixed (take 4) – released on Anthology 1 (2:32)
  • "P.S. I Love You" (take 1-5) – destroyed
  • "Ask Me Why" (take 1) – destroyed
Personnel

Musicians:

  • Pete Best – drums
  • George Harrison – backing vocals, guitar
  • John Lennon – vocals, harmonica, rhythm guitar
  • Paul McCartney – vocals, bass guitar

Production staff:[25]

"Love Me Do" single sessions

4 September 1962

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.

Recordings[26][7][29]

7–10pm

  • "How Do You Do It" (Murray) – destroyed
    • Mono mixed (from take 2)
      • Edited (1980s) – released on Anthology 1 (1:57)
  • "Love Me Do" – destroyed
    • Mono mixed (from an unknown take) – released as a single on 5 October 1962; included on Past Masters (2:25) and Mono Masters (2:25)
Personnel

Musicians:

  • George Harrison – acoustic and lead guitar, backing vocals
  • John Lennon – harmonica, rhythm guitar, vocals
  • Paul McCartney – bass guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr – drums

Production staff:[26]

  • George Martin – producer
  • Norman Smith – engineer

11 September 1962

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.

Recordings[27][31][7]

10am – 1pm

  • "P.S. I Love You" (takes 1–9) – destroyed
  • "P.S. I Love You" (take 10) – destroyed
    • Mono mixed – released as the B-side to "Love Me Do"; included on Please Please Me (mono) (2:04)
      • Fake stereo mixed (25 February 1963) – released on Please Please Me (stereo)
  • "Love Me Do" (takes 1–17) – destroyed
  • "Love Me Do" (take 18) – destroyed
    • Mono mixed – released on Please Please Me (mono) (2:21)
      • Fake stereo mixed (25 February 1963) – released on Please Please Me (stereo)
  • "Please Please Me" (unknown number of takes) – destroyed
    • Mono mixed (from an unknown take) – released on Anthology 1 (1:59)
Personnel

Musicians:

  • George Harrison – acoustic and lead guitar, backing vocals
  • John Lennon – rhythm guitar, vocals, harmonica
  • Paul McCartney – bass guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr – maracas, tambourine
  • Andy White – percussion, drums

Production staff:[27]

  • Ron Richards – producer
  • Norman Smith – engineer

"Please Please Me" single sessions

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]

26 November 1962

Recordings[28][31][32]

7–10pm

  • "Please Please Me" (takes 1–18) – destroyed
    • Mono mixed (from an unknown take) (30 November 1962) – released as a single on 11 January 1963; included on Please Please Me (mono) (2:03)
    • Edit of takes 16, 17 & 18 (25 February 1963)
      • Stereo mixed (25 February 1963) – released on Please Please Me (stereo) (2:01)
  • "Ask Me Why" (takes 1–5) – destroyed
  • "Ask Me Why" (take 6) – destroyed
    • Mono mixed (30 November 1962) – released as the B-side to "Please Please Me"
    • Mono mixed (25 February 1963) – released on Please Please Me (mono) (2:28)
    • Stereo mixed (25 February 1963) – released on Please Please Me (stereo) (2:27)
  • "Tip of My Tongue" (unknown number of takes) – destroyed
Personnel

Musicians:

  • George Harrison – backing vocals, lead guitar
  • John Lennon – rhythm guitar, vocals, harmonica
  • Paul McCartney – bass guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr – drums

Production staff:[28]

  • George Martin – producer
  • Norman Smith – engineer

30 November 1962

Personnel[28]

Production staff:

  • George Martin – producer
  • Norman Smith – engineer

Notes

  1. ^ Hewitt, Paolo (24 May 2000). "One for the road". www.theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ Kozinn, Allan (11 December 2013). "European Copyright Laws Lead to Rare Music Releases". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  3. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Beatles Bible, In Spite of All the Danger.
  5. ^ a b c d Beatles Bible, That'll Be the Day.
  6. ^ Winn, John C. (2003). The Beatles Recorded Legacy, volume 1: Way Beyond Compare, 1957–1965, page 2
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Anthology 1 by The Beatles on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  8. ^ Winn, John C. (2003). The Beatles Recorded Legacy, volume 1: Way Beyond Compare, 1957–1965. pp. 2–4
  9. ^ a b c Beatles Bible, Cayenne.
  10. ^ a b c Beatles Bible, Hallelujah, I Love Her So.
  11. ^ a b c Beatles Bible, You'll Be Mine.
  12. ^ a b c Beatles Bible, Recording: Summertime.
  13. ^ a b Lewisohn 2010, pp. 42–43.
  14. ^ a b Beatles Bible, Recording: My Bonnie.
  15. ^ a b c d Beatles Bible, Recording: Sweet Georgia Brown, Swanee River.
  16. ^ Beatles Bible, Ain't She Sweet.
  17. ^ Beatles Bible, Cry for a Shadow.
  18. ^ Beatles Bible, My Bonnie.
  19. ^ Lewisohn 2010, p. 62.
  20. ^ Beatles Bible, The Beatles' audition for Decca Records.
  21. ^ a b Lewisohn 2010, p. 70.
  22. ^ Winn, John C. (2003). The Beatles Recorded Legacy, volume 1: Way Beyond Compare, 1957–1965, pp. 6–7
  23. ^ Beatles Bible, Hello Little Girl.
  24. ^ Beatles Bible, Like Dreamers Do.
  25. ^ a b c Lewisohn 2004, pp. 16–17.
  26. ^ a b c Lewisohn 2004, pp. 18–19.
  27. ^ a b c d Lewisohn 2004, p. 20.
  28. ^ a b c d e Lewisohn 2004, p. 23.
  29. ^ "Past Masters, Vols. 1 & 2 by The Beatles on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  30. ^ Lewisohn 2004, p. 22.
  31. ^ a b c d Lewisohn 2004, p. 28.
  32. ^ "Please Please Me by The Beatles on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2017.

References

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