YDB303 Studio Sessions, 1965-1966

Disc 3 from "The Ultimate Collection Vol. 4"

Total Playing Time:                 52:26

 1 Yes It Is, take 1                 3:01
 2 Yes It Is, takes 2/3/4/5/6/7      4:05
 3 Yes It Is, takes 8/9              3:09
 4 Yes It Is, takes 10/11/14         3:15
 5 Help, takes 1/2/3/4               3:31
 6 Help, take 5                      2:52
 7 Help, takes 6/7                   3:19
 8 Help, takes 8/9                   2:46
 9 Help, take 10                     2:35
10 Help, takes 11/12                 2:46
11 Help, take 13                     2:25
12 Run For Your Live, take 1         0:17
13 Day Tripper, take 1               2:08
14 Day Tripper, takes 2/3            4:16
15 We Can Work It Out, take 1        2:03
16 We Can Work It Out, take 2        2:30
17 Paperback Writer, takes 1/2       4:08
18 Rain                              3:07

Track 1-4: Feb. 16, 1965.   Track 5-11: April 13, 1965.
Track 12: Oct. 12, 1965.    Track 13-14: Oct. 16, 1965.
Track 15-16: Oct. 20, 1965. Track 17: April 13, 1966.
Track 18: April 14, 1966

Studio Sessions, 1965-1966

Having just finished twenty nights of staging their `Another Beatles Christmas Show' at London's Hammersmith Odeon, the lads returned to Abbey Road Studios to record songs for their soon to be premiered film `Help!' and its accompanying LP. Saved here on disc three of Yellow Dog's Ultimate Collection are two 1965 studio sessions, recording many different takes of Help! and John's Yes It Is.

The first of these two sessions is dated Tuesday February 16, starting at 2.30 in the afternoon and taping Paul's Another Girl, George's I Need You and, as said, a total of fourteen takes of John's three-part harmony ballad Yes It Is. Believe it or not, twelve of these fourteen versions have been saved here to enjoy.

Track 1 The first recorded take of Yes It Is. Starting with a humorous whistling count-in by John, this is clearly a very early run-through, using George Martin's newly-adopted technique of taping studio rehearsals. John occasionally changing the lyrics, no chorus vocals: "We'd love to have an end."

Track 2 Yes It Is, take #2. A count-in from John, very soft singing indeed, again messing up the lyrics and calling an end halfway through: "A string broke, did you hear it?" Straight into takes #3 and #4, then two false starts. And on for one more, take #5: "That's in-between the verses, instead of going straight on to da-da-da. That's all. One, two, three, bread:" false start: "Sorry I was wrong." Onto take seven already, another incomplete run-through, forgetting about half the lyrics. All new finds.

Track 3 Yes It Is, takes #8 and #9. Eight is yet another false start, nine is mostly instrumental, with John humming along the lyrics. Note that the final four-tone ending is now present. Previously unheard.

Track 4, takes #10, #11 and final take #14 Ten and eleven are nothing more than two wrong count-ins. Take fourteen is a far more finished-sounding completed take, with John's vocals being overdubbed and starting with testing the organ part. Prior to the final overdubs of live-harmony this versions also features George's newly acquired `tone pedal` for guitar. It was this take #14 which George Martin used to produce and overdub the commercially released version. The single Ticket To Ride b/w Yes It Is was released in Britain on April 9, 1965.

The second Beatles recording session at Abbey Road Studios saved here is the one dated April 13, 1965. Following a busy day working on their second movie `Help!', most famous for its working title `Eight Arms To Hold You', it was on this evening that The Beatles took to Abbey Road to record the film's theme song, a tune which John, in later years, would refer to as one of his first real `message' numbers. The author pleading for help from somebody, anybody, to relieve his insecurity. Anyway, Help!' was taped in just four hours of studio time, coming up with some twelve takes, most of them instrumentals and numerous distinctive overdubs onto the last of these.

Tracks 5 and 6 The first four recorded takes of Help!, all wrong count-ins, false starts. George: "It's all so fast, I mean they want to double-track the voices, so I'll have to double-track sing it." No, says an argumentative Paul: "We've got two voice tracks that we can double-track the voices on. So if we do half it, just tap a beat, that'll give you something you can hear on the track. That's it, come on." And so this eventually leads us to a complete acoustic instrumental rhythm track (take #5). All the electric overdubs, such as George's distinctive descending guitar figures, are absent.

Track 7 Help!, takes #6 and #7. Six is a false start for another instrumental rhythm track. Seven, still no singing, here's another instrumental version, this one complete though. Count-in by Paul, with chats from the boys in-between. Both are previously unreleased.

Track 8 Help!, takes #8 and #9. Eight is a false start for what sounds like yet another rhythm track. Finally, take nine is the first one that catches the boys, John with George and Paul backing him on the chorus, singing. Very clean version.

Track 9 And on they go for an energetic take #10. Count-in from Paul. Basically the same as the previous recorded take nine. No mistakes anywhere in solos or Iyncs, but George Martin still wasn't quite satisfied and had them play it once more. Paul's comment at the very end: "Are we supposed to keep that mmmmmm...?"

Track 10 Help!, takes #11 and #12. Eleven is a false start. Twelve is the take from which George Martin later used to produce the commercial released version, mixing, dubbing and overdubbing. Sounding already very much like the finished article. The song Help!, backed as a single with I'm Down was first released in Britain on July 23, 1965. The soundtrack album was in the shops by August 6. Two new finds.

Track 11 A final take #13 of still that same song with only marginal differences to the commercial version here. Previously unheard.

The third set of Beatles Abbey Road recording sessions saved here is dated October 1965. Following their second tiring tour of North America, it's into the studio again, taping songs for their new LP `Rubber Soul'. With the LP planned to be in the shops in time for Christmas, recordings start as late as Tuesday October 12. First are two of John's new compositions: Run For Your Life and This Bird Has Flown. On October 16, whilst working on `Rubber Soul', the lads decided it was time for yet another single. Released on the same day as the LP, it was to be a Double A-side of Paul's We Can Work It Out and John's Day Tripper. Day Tripper took only three rhythm-track takes to record, with the vocals overdubbed onto that third version. All three takes have been saved here on Yellow Dog's Ultimate Collection. We Can Work It Out recorded on Wednesday October 20, was finished in two takes, onto which innumerable overdubs were applied. Again, both takes can be enjoyed here.

Track 12 George Martin calling: "Run For Your Lives you... take one", from up in the control room. The first of five eventually recorded. George tuning his guitar for the instrumental intro and that's it - nothing more, nothing less. A seventeen second `studio-outtake'.

Track 13 On to the first recorded take of the basic rhythm tracks for Day Tripper, actually an incomplete first try with count-in from Paul and lacking the tambourine and lead guitar. Having finished, John calls in: "Can we do it with double backing?"

Track 14 Takes #2 and #3. Two is a false start. It's Paul going straight onto take three, a vocal overdubbed version. A complete run-through, featuring a slightly different build and drawn out ending, foregoing the familiar rapid fade-out.

Track 15 The first recorded take of Paul's We Can Work It Out was a simplified all-instrumental rhythm track. John: "I know how it goes, it's when it comes." Paul counting in for what seems a slowed down version. Breaking down halfway thro>

The final tracks 17 and 18 on this disc three of saved Beatles recording sessions take us into the new year, Apnl 1966. Busy taping tunes for their upcoming LP `Revolver' the lads still found time to record the two sides of a new single, and again a Double A: Paul's Paperback Writer coupled with John's Rain. It took just two takes, and numerous overdubs onto that last recorded second attempt, before producer George Martin called Paperback Writer a finished article. Both these takes are saved here to enjoy. John's new composition, Rain was finished in eight takes, one of which is included here. The single was first released on June 10, 1966 and of course topped all of the world's charts within weeks.

Track 17 Paperback Writer, takes #1 and #2. One is a basic tracks instrumental, breaking down halfway through: "Okay, here we go folks." A tapped intro from Paul. Take two is a clearly different mix from the commercially released version, lacking echo effects on the vocals and a fade-out at the end. Also note George and John evoking their schoolboy memories of French lessons referring to Frere Jacques on the backing vocals.

Track 18 An unknown alternative take of Rain. A remixed version, putting John's lead vocals somewhere more in the background and Paul and George's backing vocals in the foreground.

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