Ascot Sound Studios
Producers: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector
Engineers: Phil McDonald, Eddie Klein
The sixth recording session for John Lennon’s second solo album Imagine took place on 26 May 1971.
The main album sessions were held at Ascot Sound Studios, Lennon’s recording studio at his Tittenhurst Park home. Two songs were worked on during this session: ‘How Do You Sleep?’ and ‘Crippled Inside’.
A three-man film crew were also present in the studio on this day. They were working on a project with the working title Your Show, which was intended for release with Lennon and Yoko Ono’s forthcoming albums.
Prior to the recording session, Lennon had an encounter with a fan at the house. Curt Claudio was a 23 year old American army veteran who travelled to Ascot from California in belief that Lennon wrote his songs with him in mind. He had been sending telegrams to Lennon from a Californian army hospital for around nine months.
Claudio had walked from London Airport to Tittenhurst Park, and is believed to have been sleeping rough in the grounds before he summoned the courage to knock on the door.
The camera crew filmed the encounter, during which Lennon was flanked by Ono and their assistant Dan Richter. Lennon spoke to Claudio for several minutes before inviting him in for food and drink.
I had this guy called Claudio, who’s been sending telegrams for nine months to England, saying, ‘I’m coming, I’m coming and I only have to look in your eyes and then I’ll know’ … He turned up at the house, you know, and he looked in my eyes and he didn’t get any answer. And he thought the whole thing was about him, and I said, ‘No, it’s about me,’ and I said it might, you know, it might sort of strike a corresponding chord in your experience too, ’cause we all have fairly similar experiences, but it’s basically about me, and if it’s not about me, then it’s about Yoko, you know. So I said, ‘You’d better get on and live your own life,’ you know. I mean, you’re wasting your time trying to live mine.
WPLJ interview with Alex Bennett, 9 June 1971
The first song recorded on this day was ‘How Do You Sleep?’. The backing track was completed in 11 takes, the last of which became the album master.
Contributing a slide guitar solo was George Harrison. Lennon was evidently impressed with Harrison’s playing, saying: “That’s the best he’s ever f*****g played in his life! He’d go on forever if you’d let him.”
On the eight-track tape, tracks 1 and 2 contained Klaus Voormann’s bass guitar and Alan White’s drums respectively. Tracks 3 had George Harrison’s electric guitar, and 4 had the same by Lennon.
On track 5 there were acoustic guitars by Rod Lynton and Ted Turner, piano by John Tout, and a vocal overdub by Lennon. Track 6 had Nicky Hopkins’ electric piano, and 7 and 8 had more vocal overdubs by Lennon.
The strings for ‘How Do You Sleep?’ were taped on 4 July at New York’s Record Plant.
‘Crippled Inside’ was recorded in six takes. Lennon recorded a guide vocal along with the rhythm track, which helped give ‘Crippled Inside’ a suitably live feel. He later described the sound as “very corny country and western”.
Key to the song’s sound were Hopkins’ jaunty piano work and Harrison’s dobro. Klaus Voormann played an upright bass, with Steve Brendell playing the strings with a pair of drumsticks.
On one session I was spontaneously invited to play on ‘Crippled Inside’, a fantastic moment for me. Phil wanted to create a kind of honky-tonk, bar-room sound and suggested someone slap the strings of the double bass with drumsticks. John said, ‘Steve’s a drummer, get him in there.’ So, swiftly armed with a pair of sticks, I joined Klaus who was standing there with an upright bass and I started to slap the strings as Klaus manoeuvred his way around the neck of the bass. We had a couple of run-throughs and then Phil decided to do a take.
Imagine box set, 2018
Track 1 of the eight-track tape contained double bass and drumsticks by Voormann and Brendell. Alan White’s drums were on track 2, while 3 contained Harrison’s dobro.
Track 4 had Lennon’s electric guitar, and acoustic guitars played by Rod Lynton and Ted Turner were on 5.
Track 6 contained Nicky Hopkins’ electric piano, and Lennon’s vocals were on 7. Overdubs of Harrison’s dobro and Lennon’s vocals were overdubbed onto track 8.