Studio Three (control room), EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
In 1963 stereo was secondary in importance to mono, which is why George Martin was able to hurriedly mix every track from With The Beatles for stereo in a three-hour session.
Interestingly, Martin worked on the songs in the order that he’d devised for the album’s tracklisting: It Won’t Be Long, ‘All I’ve Got To Do’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘Don’t Bother Me’, ‘Little Child’, ‘Till There Was You’, ‘Please Mister Postman’, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘Hold Me Tight’, ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Devil In Her Heart’, ‘Not A Second Time’, and ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’.
Only the latter song required more work, which was carried out on the following day.
Also on this day...
- 2013: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Credicard Hall, São Paulo
- 2010: Royal Mint issues limited edition John Lennon £5 coin
- 2002: Paul McCartney live: America West Arena, Phoenix
- 1991: US album release: Choba B CCCP by Paul McCartney
- 1989: Paul McCartney live: Hallenstadion, Zürich
- 1973: US single release: Mind Games by John Lennon
- 1968: Mixing: Hey Bulldog, All Together Now, All You Need Is Love, Only A Northern Song
- 1967: Filming: Magical Mystery Tour
- 1965: Recording, mixing: We Can Work It Out, Day Tripper
- 1964: The Beatles live: ABC Cinema, Plymouth
- 1963: The Beatles live: Sporthallen, Eskilstuna, Sweden
- 1962: Television: People And Places
- 1961: The Beatles live: Hambleton Hall, Liverpool
- 1960: The Beatles live: Kaiserkeller, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
I know that back in the 1960’s, there was obviously a marketplace battle for mono vs. stereo records, but in hindsight, to consider stereo “secondary” in importance to mono was not only misguided, but also seriously underestimated the reality that stereo was sonically superior to mono.
To be honest, I think that at the start of the 1960’s, all record companies in the UK and USA should’ve shunned the mono format altogether and just record and mix albums, singles and EP’s strictly in stereo while hi-fi manufacturers should have just manufactured stereo hi-fi systems.
It’s perhaps rather telling that by 1969, “Abbey Road” was The Beatles’ first album to only be available in stereo, so by the end of the decade, stereo outdid mono and it was inevitable that it would happen, given the advent of changing technology.
Of course stereo sounds better than mono, and serious audiophiles would have opted for stereo recordings and sound systems. Most pop records, however, were intended for AM radio, which did not have stereo (at least at that time in the US, not sure if it was different elsewhere). Playback methods from “record players” to car radios were geared to mono because stereo options were considerably more expensive. When your target consumers are teens and young people, who didn’t have a lot of spending money at the time, the extra expense was significant. I don’t know if there’s a causal connection, but it’s interesting to note that stereo grew in popularity as the generation raised on the Beatles grew more mature, their music appreciation increased, and they had more disposable income to spend on sound systems.