Recording, mixing: I’m A Loser, Mr Moonlight, Baby’s In Black, Leave My Kitten Alone

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith

The second day in the studio for what would become the Beatles For Sale LP saw work on four songs.

There were two scheduled sessions, one for recording and another for mixing, although a third, unscheduled recording session took place late at night.

The evening began at 7pm. The Beatles recorded eight takes of ‘I’m A Loser’, four of which were complete. The group then taped a version of Dr Feelgood and the Interns’ 1962 song ‘Mr Moonlight’ in four takes. The Beatles were unhappy with the results, however, and re-recorded the song on 18 October 1964.

The first session finished at 9pm. An hour-long mono mixing session then took place in the control room of Studio Two, during which rough mixes of ‘I’m A Loser’ and ‘Baby’s In Black’ were made for John Lennon’s personal use.

The day’s work should have finished at 10pm, but The Beatles took up their instruments once more to record a version of Johnny Preston’s ‘Leave My Kitten Alone’ in five takes.

Despite a great performance, including fine vocals from Lennon, The Beatles were presumably unsatisfied with the results. Despite most fans considering it a superior song to ‘Mr Moonlight’, ‘Leave My Kitten Alone’ remained unreleased until 1995, when it featured on Anthology 1.