A Day in the Life Blog

The Plastic Ono Band appears on "Top of the Pops," in a pre-taped performance of Instant Karma!

-John Lennon holds a birthday party for Yoko Ono at the Apple Records offices in London. Yoko is 37.

Also, Ringo Starr in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Recording (unreleased) takes of It Don't Come Easy. George Martin is producer and the musicians playing with Ringo (drums, vocal) are George Harrison (acoustic guitar), Klaus Voorman (bass), and Stephen Stills (piano).

Today, the backing track and lead vocals for Ringo Starr’s Sentimental Journey song I’m A Fool To Care had been recorded on February 11, 1970. During this follow-up session a 15-piece string orchestra was added to that song, and to Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing.

The session began with a reduction mix of I’m A Fool To Care, to free up space on the multitrack tape. Recording started at 10am, with Francis Shaw conducted the string players. The session ended at 1pm.

I’m A Fool To Care was completed on this day, but Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing was finished two days later with the addition of more instruments and vocals.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin editing the raw footage of their Montreal Bed-In For Peace at a cutting room in London.

Back on February 15, 1963

The Beatles at the Ritz Ballroom, King's Heath, Birmingham. This engagement which was postponed from January 11. The situation was ideal for the Ritz promoters who presented a group now featuring in the top 3 of the singles chart at the same cost as when they were an unknown act.February 15, 1963.

Back on February 14, 1966

George carrying Pattie piggy-back through the surf at Sandy Lane Beach in Barbados posing for the press during their honeymoon.

Back in 1963.....

The Beatles at the Majestic Ballroom, Hull

Today, the backing track for the song Let The Rest Of The World Go By, for Ringo’s debut album Sentimental Journey, was recorded.

Let The Rest Of The World Go By was written in 1919, and was notably recorded by Dick Haymes for the 1944 film When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.

Starr’s version was arranged by Les Reed, who from 7-9pm conducted a 31-piece orchestra in Studio Two at Abbey Road. Eleven takes were recorded, six in B flat and a further five in C.

It was decided that B flat was better suited to Starr’s vocal range, and between 9pm and 1am he overdubbed lead vocals onto take six. A stereo mix was made from 1-1.30am, but new vocals were recorded on February 18th.

A lot happened on this date in 1970.

John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band tape a performance of Instant Karma! for the BBC-TV program "Top of the Pops," to be broadcast the following evening. The Plastic Ono Band is comprised of John (electric piano), Klaus Voorman (bass), Alan White (drums), Mal Evans (occasional tambourine), and Yoko Ono (blind-folded knitting and card-holding). This video would be given general release on the 1992 "The John Lennon Video Collection." John sings a new vocal on top of a single-track vocal version of the EMI recording from January 27. Two different versions of Plastic Ono Band are taped, the first being broadcast on February 12 and the second being shown on February 19. The video is later included in the DVD, "Lennon Legend," released on November 18, 2003.

1970--John Lennon pays fines, totaling £1,344 ($1867), that have been imposed on 96 protesters who'd been arrested while protesting a rugby game in which a team from the apartheid state of South Africa was participating.

1970--US release of the soundtrack LP, The Magic Christian, a movie starring Ringo Starr and Peter Sellers. The song Come and Get It by Badfinger was written by Paul McCartney, who also produced the track. The album contains some of Ringo's movie dialogue. (Released in the UK on April 10).

Today, three mono mixes of the Plastic Ono Band’s third single, Instant Karma!, were made. John Lennon had written the song on the morning of January 27, 1970, on an upright piano at Tittenhurst Park, at his mansion in Ascot, Berkshire. It was recorded and mixed later that day, ready for its release as a single the following month.

The mixes made today were for the Plastic Ono Band’s appearance on the BBC television show Top Of The Pops the following day. Engineer Geoff Emerick took out one of Lennon’s two lead vocal tracks during the verses, allowing him to sing live in its place during the show.