Recording: With A Little Help From My Friends

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

The start time for this session was an unusually late 11pm, due to the cover shoot for the Sgt Pepper album earlier in the day.

‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, which was begun on the previous day, was completed in this session. Overdubs were added to track two of the tape, beginning with snare drum and timpani in the introduction, and bass guitar (played by Paul McCartney), lead guitar (George Harrison) and tambourine (Ringo Starr) during the main part of the song.

A previous day’s lead vocal track was then erased and replaced with vocal harmonies by McCartney and John Lennon, and a guitar fill prior to the second verse. Organ and vocal overdubs for the “Billy Shears” introduction were added to tracks three and four to complete the song.

The session ended at 7.30am on the morning of 31 March. Later that day the song was mixed in mono.