Beatles A Day in the Life Blog posts of '1966' 'May'

The Beatles taking a break in-between recording at EMI Studios in London

The Beatles taking a break in-between recording at EMI Studios in London.

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

Ten piano/drum takes of another superbly crafted Paul McCartney ballad, "For No One", formed the basis of this night session, Paul overdubbed a clavichord track and Ringo added cymbals, maracas, hi-hat and tambourine onto take ten. There was no role for either John or George in the recording of "For No One'.

Paul added his lead vocal as an overdub on May 16th and the song's fine French horn solo was taped three days after that.

In between recordings at EMI Studios in London.

A previously unreleased letter that George Harrison wrote to Atlanta DJ Paul Drew in May of 1966 reveals that the Beatles seriously contemplated recording at Stax in Memphis with producer Jim Stewart before the plan was derailed by financial issues. "We would all like it a lot," Harrison wrote by hand, "but too many people get insane with money ideas at the mention of the word 'Beatles,' and so it fell through!"

Word of the proposed Stax sessions has circulated before, but it was always said they pulled out due to security issues. It was also never known they contemplated working with Jim Stewart as opposed to George Martin, the only producer they'd ever worked with until the end of their career three years later. 

The letter, which was postmarked May 7th, 1966, was written when the Beatles were in the early stages of recording Revolver. "The album we are making now should be out around October," Harrison wrote. "But I hear Capitol will make an intermediate album with unused tracks from Rubber Soul, a few old singles and about two or three of the new tracks we have just cut…Well I am off to the studio any minute, as soon as John and Ringo arrive." That "intermediate" album would eventually be released as Yesterday and Today.

"The general assessment is that Capitol did pretty much whatever they wanted with Beatles records," Gold says. "To see that George had a very specific understanding of what Yesterday and Today was going to be before it came out was kind of a revelation too. It surprised me."

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

Recording for I'm Only Sleeping concluded on this day, with the addition of vocals by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

The day began with the creation of two reduction mixes, the second of which was preferred, to combine the previous day's backwards guitar solos onto one track of the four-track tape.

Onto track four Lennon double-tracked his lead vocals in places (the main lead part had been added on April 29, 1966), while McCartney and Harrison simultaneously performed harmonies.

I'm Only Sleeping was mixed in mono on 12 May and 6 June, and in stereo on 20 May and 21 June.

Studio Three, EMI Studios, London

A 9:30 PM to 3:00 AM session in Studio Three of Abbey Road. Typically, when The Beatles decided to record a backwards guitar solo onto Take 11 of I'm Only Sleeping, they chose to do it the hard way. They figured out a pleasing sequence of notes and played them in reverse so that the solo would sound backwards, but still have the same melodic sound of a forwards-running tape. George Harrison spent this whole session recording not only one backwards guitar solo overdub, but another backwards solo to have the two superimposed on top of each other.

The Beatles are given permission to perform in Japan.

Pattie posing at a press conference at the London Waldorf Hotel to launch the new blanket, Nightlong Bliss, by Morphy Richards.

Playhouse Theatre, London

The Beatles gave two sets of interviews for BBC radio programs on this day, at the Playhouse Theatre in London.

The first was for the 400th edition of Saturday Club. The Beatles discussed their work so far on the as-yet-untitled Revolver, along with the forthcoming US tour and their lower public profile in 1966. The interviewer was Brian Matthew.

Afterwards Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr remained behind to be interviewed again by Matthew for Pop Profile, a show for the BBC Transcription Service to be syndicated overseas. John Lennon and George Harrison had made a similar appearance on November 30, 1965.

The pair were interviewed separately. Starr's was recorded from 5pm, and McCartney's from 5.30pm, both lasting 15 minutes but later edited down to eight. The interviews were posted to participating stations worldwide later in May 1966 on 7" vinyl discs.

The 400th edition of Saturday Club, meanwhile, was broadcast from 10am-midday on 4 June on the BBC Light Programme service.