The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Recording overdubs for Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are in the studio, but John Lennon is still in the hospital in Scotland, recovering from injuries sustained in an auto accident.
Paul McCartney arrived at the studio to tape Her Majesty. The song had been written in October 1968, and was premiered during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions on 9 and 24 January.
McCartney recorded three takes of the song, the first two of which were incomplete, with just vocals and acoustic guitar. At the end of the third attempt McCartney listened to a playback, and Her Majesty became a contender for the Abbey Road medley.
John Lennon didn't attend this session as he was recuperating from a car crash in Scotland. Once George Harrison and Ringo Starr arrived, however, they began work on Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight, which at this stage had the working title Golden Slumbers.
The Beatles recorded 15 takes of the backing track, which consisted of Starr's drums, Harrison's bass guitar, and McCartney's piano and lead vocals. The session ended at 8.30pm, and the best of the takes were edited together the following day to create the final backing track.
Three new Abbey Road songs were recorded on this day, although two of those were taped as one.
While holidaying in Scotland with Yoko Ono, her daughter Kyoko and his son Julian, John Lennon crashed his white British Leyland Austin Maxi car near Durness in the Highlands.
John had rarely been behind the wheel since passing his test in 1965 and he was poor at navigating roads and often failed to notice other traffic. Since the roads were narrow, the weather was poor, John panicked after spotting a foreign tourist driving towards him. He lost control of his Austin Maxi, and drove into a roadside ditch. John, Yoko and Kyoko sustained cuts to the face and Ono's back was injured. They were taken to Golspie's Lawson Memorial Hospital where Lennon was given 17 facial stitches, Ono 14 in her forehead, and Kyoko four.
Julian Lennon was treated for shock but was otherwise unhurt. He was taken to stay with Lennon's Aunt Mater in Durness, around 50 miles away, before his mother Cynthia took him back to London the following day. When she arrived at the hospital to demand an explanation from Lennon he refused to see her.
Lennon remained in hospital for five days. He later told reporters, "If you're going to have a car crash, try to arrange for it to happen in the Highlands. The hospital there was just great." The crashed Austin Maxi was later transported to the couple's Tittenhurst Park estate where it was sited in the gardens.
July 1st was the first official day of recording for what became the Abbey Road album. The crash further delayed his return to London, and after being discharged from hospital he spent three days at home before finally rejoining The Beatles on July 9th.
Yoko Ono suffered worse injuries in the crash than Lennon, and was pregnant at the time. John arranged for Harrods to deliver a double bed to the studio, and had a microphone suspended above it for her to add her thoughts during the sessions that followed.
John and Yoko vacationing in Scotland....
John and Yoko drove to Scotland today for a short holiday after visiting Wales. The Beatles were taking a break from the Abbey Road Sessions and this month was for resting and vacations.
The couple left their white Rolls-Royce at home, and instead took their Mini Cooper bringing along six year old Julian Lennon (without Cynthia's permission) and Yoko's daughter, Kyoko Cox who was five.
On the first leg of the journey, to visit his aunts Nanny and Harrie in Liverpool, Lennon realised the Mini was too small to carry the four of them and their luggage. He instructed his chauffeur Les Anthony to bring them a more practical British Leyland Austin Maxi. Anthony then took the Mini back to Weybridge.
They stayed in the small village of Durness, in Sutherland in the Highlands. Lennon had previously enjoyed childhood holidays in the area between the ages of nine and 14, staying at the remote family croft at 56 Sangomore at Sango Bay which he had helped his Uncle Bert to renovate.
Lennon's cousin Stanley Parkes later recalled "John never forgot those times at Durness. They were among his happiest memories. He loved the wilderness. John was nine when he started coming up with my family to the croft in Durness. The croft belonged to my stepfather, Robert Sutherland, and John just loved the wildness and the openness of the place. We went fishing and hunting and John loved going up into the hills to draw or write poetry. John really loved hill walking, shooting and fishing. He used to catch salmon. He would have been quite a laird. In the last letter to me before he was killed he quoted a famous Scottish saying that says 'It's a braw, bricht moonlicht nicht since I last had a word'."
Nothing going on today except this........
In the UK The Ballad Of John And Yoko by The Beatles was in the top 5 hits.