Complete Recording Sessions Vol 15 beta 2 available

[Tex]

Im glad y'all starting using year-month-day on the file names for sorting.

[robbmacc]

Ditto. And as I say that, I'm not asking that somebody redo sessions as yyyy.mm.dd.

Really.

[masterjedi]

Such a great set ! I really enjoyed the complete ending of "Come Together"; but did you also do the same for "Old Brown Shoes" ? The long ending is new to me or was it on the SDE.
Regarding "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", will the other takes be on a further volume (with the overdubs for I Me Mine, etc...) ?

Old Brown Shoe is a different take from the released version. Nothing was done to it.
Which other takes of I Want You are you referring to? And which overdubs for I Me Mine are missing?

[masterjedi]

Im glad y'all starting using year-month-day on the file names for sorting.

They won't stay that way, sorry. They will get a track number, and the dates will be moved to the notes like in the previous volumes.

[masterjedi]

Items not addressed:
I still have no good ideas on how to split up the 2 I Want You takes

Wouldn't something like this work? hxxps://we.tl/t-99RWgVGJgQ

The Rock Band version with "She's so heavy" muted, with the reduction mix edited onto the end (excuse the crummy mix and edit, I just threw this together for reference). Then that gives us the complete EMI master as well as a separate track with the Trident session dialogue and partial outtake.

It actually works quite well, but was there a date when the take existed in this state? What does one name it?

[Ants]

Items not addressed:
I still have no good ideas on how to split up the 2 I Want You takes

Wouldn't something like this work? hxxps://we.tl/t-99RWgVGJgQ

The Rock Band version with "She's so heavy" muted, with the reduction mix edited onto the end (excuse the crummy mix and edit, I just threw this together for reference). Then that gives us the complete EMI master as well as a separate track with the Trident session dialogue and partial outtake.

It actually works quite well, but was there a date when the take existed in this state? What does one name it?

It would be great to reconstruct the song in the state it was in at a certain time... would it be possible though?
Like, maybe the first part has these overdubs, while the second one lacks something, and the third one has these things that weren't there at that time, etc.

It's a bit difficult, but Beatlesbible.com seems to have very detailed articles about how the song was recorded.


First day of recording: 22 February:
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/02/22 ... -so-heavy/

"Returning to Trident Studios in London’s Soho on this day, The Beatles recorded 35 takes of ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’, which at this stage had the working title ‘I Want You’.

Glyn Johns was the producer, and Billy Preston played an organ on the recordings. John Lennon sang live vocals on each of the takes; it was later reported that Paul McCartney sang on one version, but this was actually from 31 January.

The best takes of the day were nine, 20 and 32, and an edit of the three was made on the following day. Work would continue on ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ until 11 August 1969."


Then, the following day, 23 February:
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/02/23 ... -so-heavy/

"A master take of ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ was assembled during this session, from some of the 35 takes recorded on the previous day.

The first part of the song was taken from take nine; a middle section came from take 20; and the remainder was from take 32. These were all edited into a single master take, which became the basis for further overdubs in the months that followed."


Another session the following day, 24 February:
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/02/24 ... -so-heavy/

"A master take of ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ had been created during the previous day’s session, by editing elements from three different takes.

On this day, Trident Studios’ in-house engineer Barry Sheffield made a safety copy of the edit. A rough mix was also made for John Lennon.

The Beatles added several overdubs to the song on this day, none of which were used on the final recording. They taped two piano parts, tambourine, additional guitars, and backwards cymbal.

Another tape, with the same date on the box, was discovered in 2019. This contained a faster version of ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’, lasting 6:23, recorded at EMI Studios. That tape box was marked “New mixer tape”, and the performance had tones, clicks, and mains hums across the tracks. The Beatles’ performance appears to have been made to enable studio engineers to test new equipment."


Then, 18 April:
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/04/18 ... -so-heavy/

"Studio Two had also been booked for work on ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’. Harrison, Lennon, Thomas, balance engineer Jeff Jarratt and tape operator John Kurlander were present for the overdubbing of guitars, in a late session lasting from 1-4.30am.

The Beatles had begun recording the song on 22 February 1969, and a master tape was assembled from three different takes on the following day.

On this early morning they added several unnumbered guitar overdubs, to build up the song’s crescendo. A reduction mix was then made to allow more work at a later date, and combined Lennon’s vocals and guitar on track eight.

John and George went into the far left-hand corner of number two to overdub those guitar. They wanted a massive sound so they kept tracking and tracking, over and over.
Jeff Jarratt
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn
A rough stereo mix was made at the end of the session, which was taken away by George Harrison."


Then again, 20 April:
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/04/20 ... h-darling/

"Work continued on John Lennon’s ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ during this 7pm-12.45am session, which also saw the recording of the backing track for ‘Oh! Darling’.

At the end of the 18 April 1969 session, I Want You (She’s So Heavy) had been given a reduction mix to allow for further overdubs. The backing track was in place, as were massed electric guitar arpeggios played by Lennon and George Harrison.

During this session congas and Hammond organ were added to track six of the tape. The organ was played by Billy Preston.

Following these overdubs the song was considered complete, although white noise and further percussion were added on 8 August."


Now: would it be possible to re-create the song as it was in this state? Maybe taking the first part (until the last "She's so") from the released take (or Rock Band), then the last part from the SDE version?

Maybe I misunderstood how the song was recorded, but see these new notes for more references:


8 August:
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/08/08 ... h-darling/

"The Beatles continued work on the Abbey Road album in the afternoon after the cover photography took place.

There were two separate recording sessions on this day. The first was held in Studio Two from 2.30-9pm, and saw work continue on ‘The End’ and ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’. ‘The End’ was the first, and was given more drums and bass guitar.

‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ was at the time known simply as ‘I Want You’. Although a reduction mix had been made on 18 April 1969, The Beatles ignored it for now and went back to the 23 February master tape made at Trident Studios.

On this day John Lennon added white noise to the song, generated with George Harrison’s Moog synthesizer, while Ringo Starr added extra drums."


11 August:
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/08/11 ... s-the-sun/

"Two Abbey Road songs were completed on this day: ‘Oh! Darling’ and ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’.

The day’s recording took place in Studio Two from 2.30-11.30pm. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison taped the repeated “she’s so heavy” vocals onto ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’.

These were double-tracked onto tracks four and seven of the 18 April 1969 reduction mix, although three days previously Lennon and Ringo Starr had added more recordings onto the 23 February master tape made at Trident Studios.

Towards the end of the session a copy of ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ was made, and the “she’s so heavy” parts were edited into the original Trident Studios, to allow John Lennon to delay the decision as to which version to use. The final release, however, was an edit of mixes made of the two versions of the song, made on 20 August."


Finally, 20 August:
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/08/20 ... -so-heavy/

"An edit brought together the 22–23 February recording of ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ made at Trident Studios and the 18 April version made at EMI.

The 18 April version was used for the first four minutes and 37 seconds. From then on it cut to the Trident version, ending at 7’47”. The abrupt full-volume cut at the end was requested by Lennon during this session."


What do you think? It's quite a mess...
Is it possible to reconstruct something?

[masterjedi]

I think what Alex has is pretty close to:

20 April, "take 1" minus vocal overdubs. Anyone disagree?

[masterjedi]

Actually, steepien's mix has the added scream, which was an overdub (it's not present on the drum track). The whole last 30 seconds of the vocal track is an overdub. The only thing I can think that would be historically accurate would be the common version up to and including the last "she's so" overdub, then cut to the SDE. But that's kinda boring, isn't it?

[dascottjr]

Actually, steepien's mix has the added scream, which was an overdub (it's not present on the drum track). The whole last 30 seconds of the vocal track is an overdub. The only thing I can think that would be historically accurate would be the common version up to and including the last "she's so" overdub, then cut to the SDE. But that's kinda boring, isn't it?

Boring, maybe, but a long version of I Want You with the full ending is always good to have.

[steepien]

I think what Alex has is pretty close to:

20 April, "take 1" minus vocal overdubs. Anyone disagree?

Yep, I would call it 1969-04-20 I Want You [EMI Take 1] to differentiate it from the actual take 1 recorded at Trident.

Actually, steepien's mix has the added scream, which was an overdub (it's not present on the drum track). The whole last 30 seconds of the vocal track is an overdub.

I guess it depends when that section of the lead vocal was overdubbed. Lewisohn makes no mention of it at any session. If it was recorded in February or April alongside the other overdubs then it's historically accurate, but if it was recorded in August then it's not.

The only thing I can think that would be historically accurate would be the common version up to and including the last "she's so" overdub, then cut to the SDE. But that's kinda boring, isn't it?

That could work too, I think it would be worth including.