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You are here: Home » Beatles diary » 1968 » August » 12 » Recording, mixing: Not Guilty

Recording, mixing: Not Guilty

7.00pm, Monday 12 August 1968 (43 years ago)

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Ken Scott

George Harrison finished work on Not Guilty during this session. Despite it spanning four separate recording sessions, the song was left off the White Album and remained unreleased until 1996's Anthology 3.

Harrison overdubbed his lead vocals on this day. Initially he did this in Studio Two, occasionally with harmonies by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, but Harrison was unhappy with the results.

Eventually he decided to record the vocals in the studio control room, with the backing track playing live through the monitor speakers, just as he had done with the guitar overdub on 9 August.

George had this idea that he wanted to do it in the control room with the speakers blasting, so that he got
more of an on-stage feel. So we had to monitor through headphones, setting the monitor speakers at a level where he felt comfortable and it wouldn't completely blast out his vocal.
Ken Scott
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn

A mono mix was created before the session ended at 4.15am, although by the time stereo mixes for the White Album were made in October 1968, Not Guilty was evidently no longer a contender.

« Previous post: John Lennon and Yoko Ono attend an Ossie Clark fashion show
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Also on this day...

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