A Day in the Life Blog

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

Recording at Abbey Road from 3:00 to 6:45 and 7:00 to 10:00 pm, taping 13 takes of "Eight Days A Week" and experimenting all the while with various ways of opening and closing this new song - a novel fade-up at the start and fade-down at the end was decided upon, effected at later mix stages. The recording was completed on this day except for some edit pieces done on Sunday, October 18th.

The session tapes reveal that another new song, "I Feel Fine", was being worked out at this time, John strumming its distinctive guitar riff between takes of "Eight Days A Week".

The Beatles not really doing anything today.

The Beatles had a day of rest today

The Granville Studio, London

Afternoon recording for Shindig - a live performance, not mimed, at the Granville Studio, before a specially-invited audience of London-area Beatles Fan Club members. The group sang three songs, "Kansas City"/"Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" (which was shown at the beginning of the programme), "I'm A Loser" and "Boys" (which came later), and they joined in the finale which was led by the Karl Denver Trio.

The show was networked on US televsion by ABC on Wednesday, October 7, 1964 (8:30-0:00 pm, EST). It wasn't screened in Britain.

The Granville Studio, Fulham Broadway, London

TV rehearsals in London was an English producer but for an American show, the ABC network's Shindig, one of the primetime pop series on US TV in the mid-60's. The producer of Shindig was Jack Good, the englishman who had relocated in Hollywood, while the executive producer was Leon Mirell who would link again with The Beatles in August 1965 filming, "The 5th National Jazz and Blues Festival" for their Subafilms company.

Having just returned from an exhausting North American Tour, there was no way that the Beatles would consent to a return for the purposes of shooting their Shindig appearance, Jack Good came back to his homeland to make a special All-British edition of his series, with the Beatles topping a bill ahead of Sandie Shaw, P J Proby, The Karl Denver Trio, Tommy Quickly, Sounds Incorporated and Lyn Cornell. Since this was a US TV production, and BBC and ITV studios were off limits, an independent London venue was utilized, the Granville Studio, based in the west London premises of the Granville Theatre, formerly a Victorian music hall. This day was set aside for rehearsals - actual taping took place the next day.

The Beatles did nothing 50 years ago today that was in the news.

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

Working between 2:30 and 5:30 pm, the Beatles completed the recording of "Every Little Thing", taping five more takes to take it through to nine in all. Then, resuming at 6:30, they continued with "What You're Doing", recording takes 8 to 11. (Although the 11th takes was marked "best" this was only temporary for the Beatles recorded a re-make on October 26th.)

Before the 10:30 end of session, the ever-productive group also set about, and completed, the recording of "No Reply", done in a swift eight takes, returning to the song John had first aired in the studio in demo form on June 3rd.

Mark Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Chronicle

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

With their remarkable North American jaunt now past, but a British concert tour just around the corner, the Beatles quickly returned their attention to recording, and the completion of their second album of 1964. They taped three songs this day at Abbey Road, Lennon-McCartney compositions all, recording four takes of "Every Little Thing" (George arrived late and didn't play on these takes of the song) and the first seven of "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" between 2:30 and 6:30 pm. They then resumed at 7:00 to complete the latter song with 12 more takes and begin the recording of "What You're Doing" - by session's end, 10:45 pm, seven takes of this song's rhythm track had been taped.

Mark Lewisohn - The Complete Beatles Chronicle

It was a slow day for the Beatles, maybe rest?

Prince of Wales Theatre, London

Along with chairman David Jacobs, Cilla Black, Brian Epstein, Billy Hatton (of the Fourmost), Bett Hale (of Fabulous Magazine), Alan Freeman and Linda Lewis, Ringo was a member of a jury which judged the final of "The National beat group competition", sponsored by the charity Oxfam and held at the Prince of Wales Theatre in central London. As It's Beat Time, the second half of the evening, from 9:45 to 10:35, was screened live by BBC2.

Eleven regional heat-winners came together for this final but none of the groups - the Southerns, the Connoisseurs, the Starfires, the Apaches, Formula Five, the Down-Beats, the Vibros, the Countdowns, Roy Stuart and the Cyclones, Danny Clarke and the Jaguars, and the Crusaders - good mid 1960's group names all, achieved any fame beyond this singl TV transmission.

Mark Lewisohn - TheCompleteBeatlesChronicle