Ascot Sound Studios
Producer: John Lennon
John Lennon recorded a demo of ‘God Save Us’ on 13 April 1971.
The session took place at Ascot Sound Studios, his home recording facility at Tittenhurst Park near Ascot in Berkshire. The single take of the song featured Lennon on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Steve Brendell on congas.
‘God Save Us’ was written and recorded in support of the defence fund during Oz magazine’s obscenity trial. It was released as a single in July 1971, credited to the Elastic Oz Band.
John and Yoko supported the Oz Three, as they became known – editor Richard Neville and co-editors Jim Anderson and Felix Dennis – even to the point of allowing some of the Oz community to take refuge and live at the Lodge on the Tittenhurst estate, where they continued to run their office. They’d often come by the house for a chat or to use the photocopier and I’d occasionally look in on operations over at the Lodge. We all got on in a communal sort of way during a worrying time for the Oz folk and particularly for its editors.The editors were eventually acquitted on appeal after being found guilty of publishing obscene material and sentenced to harsh prison sentences. I’m quite sure the publicity from the connection with John and Yoko and John’s song ‘God Save Us’ had a considerable outcome or at the very least gave them a huge helping of moral support.
The demo for ‘God Save Us’ was one of the very first recordings made in Ascot Sound Studios. I entered the studio with John and stood right next to him to play congas. He didn’t play the song until the tape was running, so I had no idea what rhythm to play. I scrambled along on the congas as best I could, a little nervous at first. John strummed an acoustic guitar with vigour and sang out his lyrics very loudly. For a guy of his build I thought how powerful he was when he played. The first take began and John didn’t like something and soon stopped it. On the second take we went all the way through. John only having written some of the verses, improvised with some funny on-the-spot lyrics, ‘pick your nose, and eat it too’ for instance, which still makes me laugh. Dan had successfully taped it, John and Yoko left the studio and Dan gave me the tape to whizz up to Apple to have acetates made for the Oz singers to learn the song from.
Imagine book
The song was recorded with a full band four days later, on 17 April 1971. It was re-recorded on 22 May, along with its b-side, ‘Do The Oz’.
‘God Save Us’ was re-recorded from scratch on 22 May, with lead vocals by Bill Elliott overdubbed on 16 June.