The Beatles' recording sessions

The recordings made by the Beatles, a rock group from Liverpool, England, from their inception as the Quarrymen in 1957 to their break-up in 1970 and the reunion of their surviving members in the mid-1990s, have huge cultural and historical value. The studio session tapes are kept at Abbey Road Studios, formerly known as "EMI Recording Studios," where the Beatles recorded most of their music. While most have never been officially released, their outtakes and demos are seen by fans as collectables, and some of the recordings have appeared on countless bootlegs. The only outtakes and demos to be officially released were on The Beatles Anthology series and its tie-in singles and anniversary editions of their studio albums. Bits of some previously unreleased studio recordings were used in The Beatles: Rock Band video game as ambient noise and to give songs studio-sounding beginnings and endings. In 2013, Apple Records released the album The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963, which includes previously unreleased outtakes and demos from 1963, to stop the recordings from falling into the public domain. Except where noted, all of the following songs are written by Lennon–McCartney and all single and album releases are for the United Kingdom.

1958

Phillips' Sound Recording Services

In the spring or summer of 1958, The Quarrymen recorded two songs at Phillips' Sound Recording Services in their hometown of Liverpool. It was the group's first recording ses sion, for which they paid 17s 6d (87.5p or £ in ). The recordings were pressed onto a mono 10-inch 78 rpm shellac disc*, then the sessions tapes were erased to be reused with new customers. Because of the low quality and age of the recordings, the songs are filled with a hiss but are still listenable. The record was not intended for release but for the Quarrymen's personal use. "When we got the record, the agreement was that we would have it for a week each. John had it a week and passed it on to me. I had it for a week and passed it on to George, who had it for a week. Then Colin had it for a week and passed it to Duff Lowe, who kept it for 23 years." In 1981, Lowe sold the record to McCartney for an undisclosed amount. McCartney then had audio engineers attempt to improve the sound quality. Musicians: Production staff:

1960

The Quarrymen Demos

The Quarrymen recorded several low-quality, homemade, mono demo tapes. Those known to still exist are: Although it is known that Lennon wrote "Winston's Walk" and that McCartney wrote "Ask Me Why" and "When I'm Sixty-Four" during this time, no demo tape of those compositions has ever turned up, but one is believed to exist.

Early Beatles Homemade Recordings

As they did when they were the Quarrymen, the Beatles recorded several low-quality, homemade, mono demo tapes. The tapes are the only known recordings featuring their former bass guitarist Stuart Sutcliffe. From the 16 known demos made in early 1960 at McCartney's house, only three have been released.

Akustik Studio Recordings

15 October 1960

In Hamburg, Germany, during the Beatles' first stint there, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison recorded a song as the backing group for Lu Walters, the bassist from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. The Beatles' drummer, Pete Best, was not present, and Hurricanes drummer Ringo Starr played instead. It was the first time John, Paul, George and Ringo recorded music together. Sutcliffe was present at the session but did not play. The song was recorded in the small Akustik studio, in a similar arrangement to the Beatles' recordings at Phillips' Sound Recording Services. The song, with a spoken advertisement as the B-side, was pressed onto nine mono 78 rpm acetate discs. After the song was recorded, Walters, Starr, Ty Brian and Johnny Byrne, all in the Hurricanes, recorded "Fever" and "September Song". None of the recordings were ever released. The session tapes were most likely erased, and none of the discs are known to have survived. Musicians:

1961

1st Tony Sheridan Recordings

22–24 June 1961

In what is now the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, in the Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium (then known as Gymnasium für Jungen Harburg []), during the Beatles' second stint in Hamburg, the group, under the name "the Beat Brothers", recorded several songs with English rock and roller Tony Sheridan for an album called My Bonnie, produced by Bert Kaempfert. After recording the songs with Sheridan, the Beatles recorded two songs by themselves. Sutcliffe attended the session but did not play. The session tapes have since been destroyed, but some of the songs have been issued on numerous singles, EPs and albums, both official and unofficial. Information on the recording dates is sketchy, and much of the official documentation was lost in a fire. Sheridan later made more recordings with different backing musicians, resulting in some debate over which songs the Beatles are on. They are generally believed to appear on seven surviving tracks. The various mixes of the recordings have appeared on many compilation albums and other releases. Atlantic Records added extra instruments to two songs for a release in 1964. To complete their contract, The Beatles made more recordings in Hamburg on 24 May 1962. Musicians: Production staff:

1962

Decca Audition

1 January 1962

On New Year's Day, the Beatles recorded an audition for Decca Records in London at around 11am. They likely performed only one take of each song with no overdubbing. The Beatles did not pass the audition, but their manager, Brian Epstein, kept the reel-to-reel tapes to present to other record producers. Epstein arranged for the recordings to be pressed onto monoacetate discs, one of which was later heard by Parlophone producer George Martin, who offered them an audition which would turn out to be successful. The likely order of the songs was: Musicians: Production staff:

2nd Tony Sheridan Recordings

24 May 1962

After their previous sessions recording in Hamburg with Tony Sheridan for Bert Kaempfert, the Beatles returned for one final session to complete their contract. Only one song from this day has survived. The Beatles were accompanied by Roy Young, a pianist who had been playing with them at the Star-Club. Sheridan was not at the session, and he overdubbed his vocals on 7 June 1962 without the Beatles present. He re-recorded his vocals for "Sweet Georgia Brown" on 3 January 1964 to contain a reference to the Beatles' fame. Atlantic Records added extra instruments for a release in 1964. Musicians: Production staff:

EMI Artist Test

6 June 1962

After the Decca audition recordings came to the attention of EMI managers through the efforts of the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein, a recording contract was executed between Epstein and EMI's Parlophone record label. EMI would record a minimum of six single "sides" and the agreement would start on 6 June 1962, expiring a year later, but renewable. After the contract was signed, Parlophone record producer George Martin gave the Beatles an audition at EMI Studios in London, to assess their musical quality and respective vocal talents. The audition, held on 6 June, also acted as their first EMI recording session. They likely performed in Studio 2, the studio in which they would record most of their music. Because none of the recordings was considered worthy of release, the session tapes were destroyed per standard protocol; however, at least two mono recordings have since been discovered. Most documentation from the session has also been destroyed; however, it is known that four songs were recorded in an unknown number of takes. Ken Townsend, who would become a regular at the Beatles' recording sessions, was on duty in the technical department that day. Martin was not satisfied with Best's drumming, so Epstein and the other Beatles soon dismissed him from the group. This session was Best's only recording session at EMI before he was replaced by Ringo Starr. A complete tape of this session surfaced after the death of sound engineer Geoff Emerick on 2 October 2018. Apparently Emerick took the tape home even though it was meant to have been destroyed. As of 2020 Emerick's family are involved in legal proceedings with Universal Music, current owners of the Beatles' back catalogue, as to who legally owns the tape. 6–8pm Musicians: Production staff:

"Love Me Do" single sessions

4 September 1962

90 days after their EMI audition, the Beatles returned to EMI Studios, with their new drummer, Ringo Starr, to record their debut single in Studio 2. Before the session, they rehearsed five songs, including "Please Please Me", in Studio 3 with Ron Richards, between 2.30 and 5.30pm. They began work on Mitch Murray's "How Do You Do It", which Martin had chosen for them, but they disliked the song and wanted to release an original composition. They recorded at least two takes of "How Do You Do It" and at least 15 takes of "Love Me Do", then the best take of each song was mono mixed and pressed onto an acetate disc for Martin and Epstein to listen to. The session tapes were later destroyed, as was common practice until 1963. This session's version of "Love Me Do" was released as the Beatles' first single; however, it was later replaced with a version recorded seven days later, and the original was destroyed. When the original was later released on compilations, it had to be sourced from an original mono 45 rpm single. 7–10pm Musicians: Production staff:

11 September 1962

Concerned with Ringo's drumming, the producers hired session drummer Andy White for another attempt at recording the Beatles' first single. In Studio 2, they recorded three songs with White drumming, while Ringo was relegated to maracas and tambourine. The best takes of "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You" were mono mixed. An unknown amount of takes of "Please Please Me" were also recorded but none was used. The session tapes were later destroyed, thus there are no true stereo versions of the songs, although at least one mono recording has been discovered. Although the previous session's version of "Love Me Do" was originally released as the single, following the release of the EP The Beatles' Hits, it was replaced with the version from this session, and the original was destroyed. "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You" were mixed in "fake stereo" on 25 February 1963 in the control room of Studio 1. Although they were originally released in fake stereo on the stereo version of Please Please Me, modern remastered stereo releases contain the two songs in mono, as fake stereo has fallen out of style. 10am – 1pm Musicians: Production staff:

"Please Please Me" single sessions

On 26 November, over a month after the release of the first single, the Beatles returned to Studio 2 to record their second. After the successful recording of "Please Please Me", Martin spoke the now-famous line, "You've just made your first number one." In addition to the two sides of the single, they also performed an unknown number of takes of another original composition, "Tip of My Tongue", but Martin was unhappy with the arrangement. They never recorded it again and, instead, gave it to Tommy Quickly, another artist managed by Epstein. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" were mono mixed at an unknown time on 30 November in Studio 2. An edit and stereo mix of "Please Please Me" and a new mono and a stereo mix of "Ask Me Why" were made on 25 February 1963 in Studio 1, for inclusion on the mono and stereo versions of the Please Please Me album.

26 November 1962

7–10pm Musicians: Production staff:

30 November 1962

Production staff:

1963

Please Please Me album sessions

On 11 February in Studio 2, the Beatles recorded almost the entirety of their debut album, Please Please Me, between 10am and 10.45pm. They also recorded several takes of "Hold Me Tight". Although in 1963, the convention of destroying session tapes after the final mixes were made had mostly ceased, the session's takes of "Hold Me Tight" were destroyed, as the song was left unused until seven months later when they re-recorded it for their next album. On 20 February in Studio 1, Martin recorded overdubs for "Misery" and "Baby It's You". The album was edited and mixed on 25 February in Studio 1. The song "Seventeen" was later retitled "I Saw Her Standing There".

11 February 1963

10am – 1pm 2.30–6pm 7.30–10.45pm Musicians: Production staff:

20 February 1963

10.30am – 1pm Musicians: Production staff:

25 February 1963

10am – 1pm, 2.30–5.45pm Production staff:

"From Me to You" single sessions

The Beatles recorded their third single on 5 March in Studio 2. They also wanted to record "What Goes On" and "The One After 909" (later retitled "One After 909"). In the end, only the latter was recorded, but the song remained unused until it was re-recorded during the Get Back / Let It Be sessions. "What Goes On" was later recorded for Rubber Soul. On 13 March in Studio 2, Lennon recorded a harmonica overdub for "Thank You Little Girl" (later retitled "Thank You Girl"), the single's B-side, and the song was edited and mixed. The A-side, "From Me to You", was edited and mixed on 14 March in Studio 2.

5 March 1963

2.30–5pm 7–10pm Musicians: Production staff:

13 March 1963

10am – 1pm Musicians: Production staff:

14 March 1963

10am – 1pm Production staff:

"She Loves You" single sessions

The Beatles recorded their fourth single, "She Loves You", on 1 July in Studio 2. The B-side, "Get You in the End", was later retitled "I'll Get You". The number of takes recorded is unknown, as the documentation and session tapes were later destroyed or lost. The songs were edited and mono mixed on 4 July in Studio 2. No stereo mixes were ever made from the master recordings, and later stereo releases of the songs are in fake stereo or are combined with the recordings made on 13 March 1964 for the German-language version.

1 July 1963

2.30–5.30, 7–10pm Musicians: Production staff:

4 July 1963

10am – 1pm Production staff:

With the Beatles and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" single sessions

18 July 1963

Studio 2 7.00–10.45pm Musicians: Production staff:

30 July 1963

Studio 2 10.00am – 1.30pm 5.00–11.00pm Musicians: Production staff:

21 August 1963

Studio 3 (control room) 10.00am–1.00pm, 2.00–5.30pm Production staff:

11 September 1963

Studio 2 2.30–6.00pm 7.00–10.15pm Musicians: Production staff:

12 September 1963

Studio 2 2.30–6.30pm 7.00–11.30pm Musicians: Production staff:

30 September 1963

Studio 2 10.00am – 1.15pm Musicians: Production staff:

3 October 1963

Studio 2 7.00–10.00pm Musicians: Production staff:

17 October 1963

Studio 2 2.30–5.30, 7.00–10.00pm Musicians: Production staff:

21 October 1963

Studio 1 10.00am – 1.00pm Production staff:

23 October 1963

Studio 2 10.00am – 1.00pm Musicians: Production staff:

29 October 1963

Studio 3 10.00am – 1.00pm Production staff:

30 October 1963

Studio 3 2.30–5.30pm Production staff:

1964

A Hard Day's Night album and Long Tall Sally EP sessions

24 January 1964

29 January 1964

25 February 1964

26 February 1964

27 February 1964

1 March 1964

3 March 1964

4 March 1964

10 March 1964

12 March 1964

16 April 1964

20 April 1964

23 April 1964

22 May 1964

1 June 1964

2 June 1964

3 June 1964

4 June 1964

9 June 1964

10 June 1964

22 June 1964

Beatles for Sale and "I Feel Fine" single sessions

11 August 1964

14 August 1964

29 September 1964

30 September 1964

6 October 1964

8 October 1964

12 October 1964

16 October 1964

18 October 1964

21 October 1964

22 October 1964

26 October 1964

27 October 1964

4 November 1964

1965

Help! album sessions

15 February 1965

16 February 1965

17 February 1965

18 February 1965

19 February 1965

20 February 1965

23 February 1965

15 March 1965

30 March 1965

2 April 1965

13 April 1965

18 April 1965

10 May 1965

8 June 1965

14 June 1965

15 June 1965

17 June 1965

18 June 1965

Rubber Soul and "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" sessions

12 October 1965

13 October 1965

16 October 1965

18 October 1965

20 October 1965

21 October 1965

22 October 1965

24 October 1965

25 October 1965

26 October 1965

28 October 1965

29 October 1965

3 November 1965

4 November 1965

6 November 1965

8 November 1965

9 November 1965

10 November 1965

11 November 1965

15 November 1965

30 November 1965

1966

Revolver and "Paperback Writer" sessions

6 April 1966

7 April 1966

8 April 1966

11 April 1966

13 April 1966

14 April 1966

16 April 1966

17 April 1966

19 April 1966

20 April 1966

21 April 1966

22 April 1966

25 April 1966

26 April 1966

27 April 1966

28 April 1966

29 April 1966

5 May 1966

6 May 1966

9 May 1966

12 May 1966

16 May 1966

18 May 1966

19 May 1966

20 May 1966

26 May 1966

1 June 1966

2 June 1966

3 June 1966

6 June 1966

8 June 1966

9 June 1966

14 June 1966

16 June 1966

17 June 1966

20 June 1966

21 June 1966

22 June 1966

A Collection of Beatles Oldies sessions

31 October 1966

7 November 1966

8 November 1966

10 November 1966

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band sessions

24 November 1966

25 November 1966

28 November 1966

29 November 1966

2 December 1966

Room 53, EMI Studios, London (9.00am-12.00am)

6 December 1966

8 December 1966

9 December 1966

15 December 1966

20 December 1966

21 December 1966

22 December 1966

29 December 1966

30 December 1966

1967

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band sessions (cont.)

2 January 1967

4 January 1967

5 January 1967

6 January 1967

9 January 1967

10 January 1967

12 January 1967

17 January 1967

19 January 1967

20 January 1967

25 January 1967

30 January 1967

1 February 1967

2 February 1967

3 February 1967

8 February 1967

9 February 1967

10 February 1967

13 February 1967

14 February 1967

16 February 1967

17 February 1967

20 February 1967

21 February 1967

22 February 1967

23 February 1967

24 February 1967

28 February 1967

1 March 1967

2 March 1967

3 March 1967

6 March 1967

7 March 1967

9 March 1967

10 March 1967

13 March 1967

15 March 1967

17 March 1967

20 March 1967

21 March 1967

22 March 1967

23 March 1967

28 March 1967

29 March 1967

30 March 1967

31 March 1967

1 April 1967

3 April 1967

4 April 1967

6 April 1967

7 April 1967

17 April 1967

19 April 1967

20 April 1967

21 April 1967

Magical Mystery Tour sessions

25 April 1967

26 April 1967

27 April 1967

3 May 1967

4 May 1967

9 May 1967

11 May 1967

12 May 1967

17 May 1967

25 May 1967

31 May 1967

1 June 1967

2 June 1967

7 June 1967

8 June 1967

9 June 1967

14 June 1967

19 June 1967

21 June 1967

23 June 1967

24 June 1967

25 June 1967

26 June 1967

22 August 1967

23 August 1967

5 September 1967

6 September 1967

7 September 1967

8 September 1967

16 September 1967

25 September 1967

26 September 1967

27 September 1967

28 September 1967

29 September 1967

2 October 1967

6 October 1967

12 October 1967

19 October 1967

20 October 1967

25 October 1967

1 November 1967

2 November 1967

6 November 1967

7 November 1967

15 November 1967

17 November 1967

28 November 1967

29 November 1967

1968

"Lady Madonna" sessions

12 January 1968

3 February 1968

4 February 1968

6 February 1968

8 February 1968

11 February 1968

15 February 1968

The Beatles ("White Album") and "Hey Jude" single sessions

30 May 1968

31 May 1968

4 June 1968

5 June 1968

6 June 1968

10 June 1968

11 June 1968

20 June 1968

21 June 1968

25 June 1968

26 June 1968

27 June 1968

28 June 1968

1 July 1968

2 July 1968

3 July 1968

4 July 1968

5 July 1968

8 July 1968

9 July 1968

10 July 1968

11 July 1968

12 July 1968

15 July 1968

16 July 1968

18 July 1968

19 July 1968

22 July 1968

23 July 1968

24 July 1968

25 July 1968

29 July 1968

30 July 1968

31 July 1968

1 August 1968

2 August 1968

6 August 1968

7 August 1968

8 August 1968

9 August 1968

12 August 1968

13 August 1968

14 August 1968

15 August 1968

16 August 1968

20 August 1968

21 August 1968

22 August 1968

23 August 1968

26 August 1968

27 August 1968

28 August 1968

29 August 1968

30 August 1968

3 September 1968

5 September 1968

6 September 1968

9 September 1968

10 September 1968

11 September 1968

12 September 1968

13 September 1968

16 September 1968

17 September 1968

18 September 1968

19 September 1968

20 September 1968

23 September 1968

24 September 1968

25 September 1968

26 September 1968

1 October 1968

2 October 1968

3 October 1968

4 October 1968

5 October 1968

7 October 1968

8 October 1968

9 October 1968

10 October 1968

11 October 1968

12 October 1968

13 October 1968

14 October 1968

15 October 1968

16 and 17 October 1968

18 October 1968

Yellow Submarine session

29 October 1968

1969

Get Back album sessions

There are no take numbers since they were not formal studio recording sessions, but rehearsals filmed for Let It Be. Some of the songs were released on later Beatles or solo records. Songs (arranged by artist): Numerous improvisations were also recorded during these sessions.

Medleys

Abbey Road and "The Ballad of John And Yoko" single sessions

22 February 1969

23 February 1969

24 February 1969

25 February 1969

14 April 1969

16 April 1969

18 April 1969

20 April 1969

26 April 1969

29 April 1969

1 May 1969

2 May 1969

5 May 1969

6 May 1969

1 July 1969

2 July 1969

3 July 1969

4 July 1969

7 July 1969

8 July 1969

9 July 1969

10 July 1969

11 July 1969

15 July 1969

16 July 1969

17 July 1969

18 July 1969

21 July 1969

22 July 1969

23 July 1969

24 July 1969

25 July 1969

28 July 1969

29 July 1969

30 July 1969

31 July 1969

1 August 1969

4 August 1969

5 August 1969

6 August 1969

7 August 1969

8 August 1969

11 August 1969

12 August 1969

13 August 1969

14 August 1969

15 August 1969

18 August 1969

19 August 1969

20 August 1969

21 August 1969

25 August 1969

No One's Gonna Change Our World and Hey Jude sessions

11 September 1969

2 October 1969

26 November 1969

2 December 1969

5 December 1969

8 December 1969

Let It Be album sessions

Let It Be was put together from the Get Back sessions, documented above. Most songs do not have formal take numbers.

5 February 1969

10 March 1969

11 March 1969

12 March 1969

13 March 1969

26 March 1969

7 April 1969

25 April 1969

30 April 1969

7 May 1969

9 May 1969

28 May 1969