Beatles A Day in the Life Blog posts of '1969' 'April'

Today, recording sessions started with a lead guitar overdub onto the best take of Let It Be from the session on January 31st. This solo was actually featured on the single release although an alternative one was used for the Let It Be album.

The new solo was performed by George Harrison and included Glyn Johns' two unreleased Get Back albums.

The Beatles then decided to look at an old recording of You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) which had been begun in May 1967, but had ceased the following month following the creation of a master edit of its various parts.

During this session, John Lennon and Paul McCartney gathered around a single microphone and added all the song's vocals onto two tracks. The vocals included Lennon's nightclub MC, McCartney's crooner Denis O'Bell, ska-styled staccato, Pythonesque falsetto, mumbling and other sounds.

More effects were added to track four, including audience ambience and applause, and the sound of Beatles assistant Mal Evans running a spade through a heap of gravel. Three mono mixes were made at the end of the session, which finished at 2am.

Octopus's Garden - Today the Beatles continued the recording of Ringo Starr's second-recorded composition.

The Beatles had recorded 32 takes of the backing track earlier in the month. Then Ringo Starr erased his guide vocals by recording two lead vocal tracks, including some harmonies in places. Also recorded was a piano part during the bridges, although it is unclear whether this was from this day or the 26th.

Four stereo mixes of Octopus's Garden were made at the end of the session. However, more overdubs were added in July 1969, rendering these unnecessary.

Nothing much happening today.

John Lennon in the recording studio (Studio Three, EMI Studios, London). He does a re-make of the John and Yoko heartbeats.

The Beatles began work on Octopus's Garden, Ringo Starr's second-recorded composition.

Paul McCartney made his first attempt to record a lead vocal for Oh! Darling. He then overdubbed his lead vocals onto take 26, plus a second take in a falsetto voice. He then recorded two harmony vocal takes, mainly in the final verse. McCartney would re-record his vocals a number of times on subsequent days before being satisfied.

For Octopus's Garden, McCartney played bass guitar, Starr drummed and sang a guide vocal, and John Lennon and George Harrison were on guitars. Harrison's guitar was put through a Leslie speaker. Thirty-two takes were recorded; the second was included on 1996's Anthology 3, along with Starr's comment "Well that was superb" which followed take 8.

-John Lennon and Yoko Ono's film "Rape" is shown at a television festival in Montreaux, Switzerland.

A promotional film for The Beatles' song Get Back is broadcast (in black and white) on UK television, on the program "Tops of the Pops."

The lawsuit between The Beatles and Triumph Investment Trust (owners of Nemperor Holdings / NEMS Enterprises) is settled out of court.

Meanwhile, Paul McCartney announces there is no truth to the rumors that he is dead.

The song was originally recorded to be included on the aborted album “Get Back”.

“Get Back” becomes The Beatles 16th UK No.1 in 1969

Originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston, “Get Back” was the first and only single by The Beatles to credit another artist, Preston played the organ on the song and was by then one of the few people that were privileged to be called a “5th Beatle”. The song was initially thought to be included on their aborted 1969 album “Get Back” that would become “Let It Be” in 1970. The Beatles performed “Get Back” (along with other songs from the album) as part of the Beatles’ rooftop performance, which took place on the roof of Apple Studios in Savile Row, London on 30 January 1969, an edited version of which was included in the “Let It Be” film. During the famous rooftop appearance, “Get Back” was performed in full three times. Due to the increasing popularity of the Stereo formats over Mono, “Get Back” also became the first single release in true stereo in the US by the band. On April 23, 1969, “Get Back” was No.1 at the UK Singles charts, their 16th single to achieve the top position in their home country.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono in Studio Two, EMI Studios, London. The couple spends five hours in the studio today. First, John and Yoko record their heartbeats. They also record the track John and Yoko (John repeating "Yoko" and Yoko repeating "John" for 22 minutes), which will be included on their 3rd LP, The Wedding Album.

On another note, John Lennon formally changed his middle name from Winston to Ono, during a brief ceremony held on the roof of the Apple building at 3 Savile Row, London. The ceremony was carried out before Bueno de Mesquita, Commissioner of Oaths. Lennon had never liked his middle name, which had been given to him during a bout of wartime patriotism.

John - "Yoko changed her name for me. I've changed mine for her. One for both, both for each other. She has a ring. I have a ring. It gives us nine 'O's between us, which is good luck. Ten would not be good luck."

John Lennon and Yoko Ono form Bag Productions, a film production company, that would function separately from Apple for their personal projects. They appoint Anthony Fawcett as their assistant.