Beatles/Sgt. Pepper’s Recoding Sessions Vol.1 No.2

Sgt. Pepper’s was released in June 1967. There were already signs of the hippie movement blooming in various fields, but it was none other than The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s that marked the beginning of psychedelic social phenomenon. Not only was it the beginning, but it is still recognized as a masterpiece today, half a century after its release, as a symbol of the era. Perhaps under the influence of drugs, the lyrics are full of metaphors, and the melody is brilliant and fantastical. All of these elements give the impression of a new musicality of The Beatles that was different from what they had done before. The result of giving up all live performances and concentrating on studio work was this concept album that brought together the best of the studio technology of the time. The concept of the album is that a fictional band led by Sergeant Pepper performs a show, starting with the hustle and bustle of the crowd, followed by entertainers appearing one after another, a reluctant ending, and a solemn encore. However, not all songs are necessarily recorded according to this concept, as can be seen by listening to “Lovely Rita”, “When I’m Sixty Four”, “Within You Without You”, etc. Roughly speaking, only the first few songs and the reprise and after are in line with the concept, and the songs in between are unrelated. If there is something that resembles a concept, it would be the melody that permeates the whole album, and the tone that has undergone complex work. This atmosphere can be felt as a lingering scent in the next album, Magical. If I had to say, the concept of this album is a symbol that embodied the psychedelic worldview and established it in the era. The album was released in June 1967, but recording began around December 1966. The last tour was in August, so the recording took place after a three-month break. Considering that “Revolver” was recorded from April to June, we can see how high his creative motivation was during this period, with the tour in between. This work is the title of the recording session for this album “Sgt. Pepper’s”. This is Vol. 1. [LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS] Now, one of the highlights of this work is the Lucy session. It is a fantastic song that John composed after being inspired by a picture drawn by Julian as a child. Take 1 has a different vocalist and John sings somewhat flatly. You can see that the voice itself has already been effected. The chorus part of the chorus has not yet been recorded and is karaoke. The ending is noteworthy, and the part that finally fades out is recorded properly until the end (although it ends in a sloppy way). While WITH A LITTLE HELP was recorded track by track, John seems to have preferred the old-fashioned recording method, and the take that was sung over and over again is left like this. The chorus part, in which Paul repeats the title in his rough voice, does not appear until take 8, and was probably recorded much later. Disc 4, track 20, is a take sung by Jeremy, who appeared in the movie “Yellow Submarine”. [GETTING BETTER] Although it is announced as take 1, after a breakdown, the basic track is recorded again. The vocals are still heard in the distance, and the track is mainly instruments. It is difficult to notice that the electric piano is used so effectively when there is vocals. Track 24 also has a rough guide vocal, but the volume is low. Vocals were recorded for the first time on March 23, 1967. Of course, Paul is the main one, and John seems to be the only one on the chorus. By the way, it was also performed on stage during the 2002 tour. The guitar cutting phrase is impressive, but in the early take that can be heard on this album, it is played on electric piano. Interestingly, clapping is recorded as a sound effect on disc 4, track 30. This was ultimately omitted. [FIXING A HOLE] Take 1 was recorded on February 9, 1967. The vocals are very similar to the released version, but it is a different take. There is no chorus at all, and Paul’s solo gives a very simple impression. Disc 5 track 6 is a rehearsal, and it shows them trying out the distinctive baroque keyboard. It’s surprising that you can hear the studio scene other than Sgt. Pepper’s songs. Take 3, which comes in as a direct flow, also has a different vocal, and compared to Take 1, which was sung calmly, this one is sung with a lot of energy and bounce. Perhaps he didn’t like the previous takes, so he re-recorded the backing track on February 21, 1967. [SHE’S LEAVING HOME] Paul performed this song live on his 2002 tour. Those who were actually there will know that the live performance was only performed with Wicks’ keyboard and chorus. In fact, the original version recorded on Sgt. Pepper’s was recorded with only string instruments in the background, so it was Paul’s show, and the other members only participated in the chorus. George Martin, who had been in charge of all the productions since their debut, had asked Mike Leander, an outsider, to score the string instruments for this song. It seems that Paul, who was in a hurry to get the job done, made the decision on his own, when Martin asked him to wait for a while because he was busy. Martin clearly expressed his displeasure about this matter. What you notice in Take 1 is that the melody that was ultimately omitted is still there. It is a strange part because it is inserted in a way that interrupts the flow of the song, but on the other hand, for those who are listening for the first time, it is the most surprising part that such a break melody was originally added. [ONE DOWN, SIX TO GO VOL.1] Before “Sgt. Pepper’s” became “Sgt. Pepper’s”, the members called it “ONE DOWN, SIX TO GO” as a working title. This work is titled after that. This is a big project that includes many first-time recordings, and it takes up the full 10 discs. This is the first part of the project. It includes studio session recordings from the recording of “Strawberry Fields,” which marked the beginning of the recording, to “She’s Leaving Home.” This is the ultimate set that includes many first-time recordings that have never been released anywhere before. It is longer than previously released, and includes recordings that are being recorded for the first time in unedited form. DISC FOUR LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS March, 1967 01. Take 1 02. Take 2 03. Take 3 04. Take 4 05. Take 5 06. Take 6 07. Take 7 piano + tamboura SI 08. Take 8 reduction from Take 7 March 2, 1967 OVERDUB SESSION 09. Bass 10. Lead Guitar 11. John vocal + Paul & John backings 12. John second vocal & backing SI 13. Paul second backing vocal SI 14. John third vocal SI 15. Final Vocal Mix unedited 16. RM11 MULTITRACK 17. Drums 18. Take 6 Monitor Mix 19. Vocal PitchEXTRA 20. RM20 1968 GETTING BETTER March 9, 1967 21. Take 1 Warm Up 22. Take 1 23. Unknown Take breakdown 24. Take 7 w/rough vocal guideMarch 10, 1967 OVERDUBS 25. Drums SI 26. Bass SI 27. Take 12 Tamboura & Guitar SI March 21, 1967 28. Take 14 Mixdown of take 12 March 23, 1 967 OVERDUBS 29. First vocal inserts 30. Paul & John vocal track #1 31. Paul & John vocal track #2 DISC FIVE GETTING BETTER March 23, 1967 OVERDUBS MULTITRACKS 01. All vocals 02. Electric Guitars & Congas 03. Electric Pianos & Congas 04. Take 15 Remix FIXING A HOLE February 9, 1967 05. Take 1 Mixdown Take 1 onto Take 2 06. Rehearsal 07. Take 3 Overdubs onto Take 2 08. New Vocal insert SI 09. Second vocal SI 10. All vocals & Backing V SI 11. Electric Guitar SI February 21, 1967 12. New backing track (Harpsichord, bass and drums SI) 13. Unknown RM Mix MULTITRACK 14. Backing Vocals 15. Instrumental SHE’S LEAVING HOME March 17, 1967 16. Take 1 17. Take 6 March 20, 1967 18. Violins (4 track tape) 19. Cellos (4 track tape) Reduction Take 1 into Take 9 20. Vocals Multitrack tape 21. Main Vocals (4 track tape) 22. Backing Vocals SI (4 track tape) 23. Take 9 (4 track tape) 24. RM1 with ADT April 17, 1967 Stereo Remix 6 & Edit -MULTITRACK 25. Harp, Violas and Violins 26. Harp, Cellos & Double Bass 27. RS backing track 28. Vocals onto Edited Take 9