Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Phil McDonald
Work continued on the Abbey Road song ‘Here Comes The Sun’, with further overdubs and some early mixes.
The previous day had seen the taping of the song’s backing track in 13 takes, plus an acoustic guitar overdub. This day, meanwhile, was mostly devoted to vocals.
Ringo Starr overdubbed drum fills and George Harrison added more electric guitar onto track five, with the guitar played through a Leslie speaker. Harrison then recorded lead vocals on track six, and he and Paul McCartney added two sets of backing vocals to tracks seven and eight, wiping the previous day’s guide vocals in the process.
Seven of the eight available tracks on the tape were now full, so it was decided that a reduction mix should be made for further work to take place. Two of these mixes were made, numbered 14 and 15, the last of which was judged to be better. It combined the acoustic guitar, electric guitar and drum fills on track three.
A rough mono mix of take 15 was made towards the end of the 2.30-10.45pm session, and was taken away by Harrison.
Also on this day...
- 2018: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Piazza Napoleone, Lucca
- 2016: Paul McCartney live: SummerFest
- 2012: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Horseshoe Casino, Hammond
- 2009: McCartney rebuffs rumours that Michael Jackson left Beatles songs in will
- 2008: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Fraze Pavilion, Kettering
- 2006: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Mizner Amphitheater, Boca Raton
- 1995: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Star Plaza Theatre, Merrillville
- 1992: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Le Zénith, Paris
- 1968: Recording: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- 1968: The Beatles attend a press screening of Yellow Submarine
- 1966: UK EP release: Nowhere Man
- 1966: Travel: India to England
- 1963: The Beatles live: Winter Gardens, Margate
- 1962: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
It recently occurred to me that the descending line that George and Paul sing in falsetto in the bridge of the song, the “Sun, Sun, Sun, Here It Comes” part, may have been inspired by the chorus of the song “I Live For the Sun”, which was a fairly big UK hit for the band Vanity Fare in the summer of ’68, just a year before George wrote and recorded “Here Comes the Sun”. Anybody else hear the similarity?