Recording, mixing: Taxman, And Your Bird Can Sing, Tomorrow Never Knows, I’m Only Sleeping

Studio Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick

Eleven mono mixes of songs recorded for Revolver were made on this day, although none were used on the album. The Beatles also recorded the backing track of John Lennon’s song ‘I’m Only Sleeping’.

There were two scheduled sessions. The first began at 6pm and finished at 11.30pm, and took place in the control room of Abbey Road’s Studio Three. Mono mixes of ‘Taxman’ and ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’, one apiece, were made, along with nine of ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’.

The second session was in Studio Three itself, and took place from 11.30pm-3am. Eleven takes of ‘I’m Only Sleeping’ were recorded, with the final one becoming the basis for the album track. They were performed in E minor, but the tape machine was running fast so it sounded slower and a semitone lower on playback. At this stage it featured John Lennon on a Gibson Jumbo acoustic guitar, Paul McCartney on Rickenbacker bass, and Ringo Starr on drums.

The Beatles attempted a remake two days later, recording five takes, but these were abandoned and the group used take 11 from this day instead.