Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Having recorded the backing track two days previously, The Beatles completed ‘If I Needed Someone’, the first of two compositions by George Harrison for the Rubber Soul album.
Track two of the four-track tape was filled with Harrison’s lead vocals, and backing vocals by Paul McCartney. On the third Harrison double-tracked his lead vocals, and John Lennon added more backing vocals. The fourth track contained an overdub of Harrison’s 12-string Rickenbacker guitar and Ringo Starr’s tambourine.
With If I Needed Someone completed, The Beatles rehearsed then recorded three takes of Lennon’s ‘In My Life’, one of Rubber Soul’s finest songs. The rhythm track contained bass guitar, drums, Harrison’s lead guitar, Lennon’s Epiphone Casino, and George Martin’s tambourine.
Lennon added his lead vocals onto the second track, together with harmonies from McCartney. Track three contained double-tracked lead vocals, plus backing vocals by McCartney and Harrison.
In My Life was completed on 22 October 1965, when George Martin overdubbed his baroque-style piano solo.
Also on this day...
- 2015: Ringo Starr live at Fox Theatre, Detroit, Michigan
- 2014: Ringo Starr live at Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, Jacksonville, Florida
- 2013: Paul McCartney live at Covent Garden, London
- 2010: Remastered Red and Blue albums and Harrison/Shankar Collaborations are released
- 1999: UK album release: Working Classical by Paul McCartney
- 1968: Tape copying: Yer Blues, Don’t Pass Me By
- 1968: John Lennon and Yoko Ono are arrested for drugs possession
- 1967: The Beatles attend the première of How I Won The War
- 1964: Recording: Eight Days A Week, Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!, Mr Moonlight, I Feel Fine, I’ll Follow The Sun, Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby, Rock And Roll Music, Words Of Love
- 1963: Television: Scene At 6.30
- 1961: Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)
- 1961: Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1960: Live: Kaiserkeller, Hamburg
- 1959: Live: TV Star Search audition
- 1957: Paul McCartney’s debut with the Quarrymen
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
the lighting in the bottle from 65 to 69. there was more to these guys than just musicians/songwriters. there was a outside force they were channeling. i have original beatle 4 tracks and 8 tracks from giles martin. and when you listen to them soloed, you hear all the humanness of their playing, but when you combine all the secret sauce, its just blows your head off.
the walrus WAS paul. saw him this weekend, and hes still freaking amazing, what a band.
According to http://www.beatlesebooks.com, George actually overdubbed an extra part on his Rickenbacker 12-string on “If I Needed Someone” and he clearly would have participated in the taping of the basic track of the song – he wrote it, after all.