Recording: Around The Beatles

IBC Studios, Portland Place, London
Producer: Jack Good
Engineer: Alan Florence
Tape operator: Peter Robinson

The television special Around The Beatles, which was filmed on 28 April 1964, included mimed musical performances. However, the music used wasn’t the EMI recordings; a new soundtrack was recorded on this and the previous day at the independent IBC (International Broadcasting Company) Studios, at 35 Portland Place in central London.

The session took place from 10am until 8.30pm. There was no producer, in a conventional sense, but IBC’s manager Alan Stagg was present, as were technical support staff.

The Beatles spent all day in the studio, recording their parts along with the show’s other acts. Backing tracks were taped in the morning, followed by vocals in the afternoon, and in the evening a number of girls were invited to listen to a playback and their screams were recorded.

The studio used a 3-track Ampex machine, with the backing music recorded on one track, vocals on another, and screams and applause on a third.

The Beatles taped the songs ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Boys’ and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, and a medley of their hits to date: ‘Love Me Do’/‘Please Please Me’‘From Me To You’/‘She Loves You’/‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’. They also recorded a version of the Isley Brothers’ 1959 song ‘Shout’, which featured lead vocals from each of The Beatles.

These versions of I Wanna Be Your Man, Long Tall Sally and Boys were released on 1995’s Anthology 1, along with an edited version of Shout. The version of Boys, incidentally, was never used in Around The Beatles.

Last updated: 21 March 2018
Recording: Around The Beatles
Filming: Paul McCartney's unused scene in A Hard Day's Night
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