"And The Sun Will Shine / The Dog Presides" session

On this day, Peter Asher made his debut as a producer to record the new single of ex-Manfred Mann, Paul Jones. He had asked Paul McCartney to join the session, and Paul ended up playing drums on the two sides of the single, along with Jeff Beck on guitar, Paul Samwell-Smith on bass, Nicky Hopkins on keyboards, and Paul Jones on vocals.

Around this time I produced my first record, at EMI Studios. The artist was Paul Jones, an amazingly good musician who used to be the lead singer of Manfred Mann, and the song was “And the Sun Will Shine,” a Bee Gees composition I really like. As it was my very first production, I wanted to hire an incredible band—and that’s how I ended up producing a record that has a definite Beatles connection. The band I hired was Nicky Hopkins on piano, Paul Samwell-Smith from the Yardbirds on bass, Jeff Beck on guitar, and on drums an aspiring young player of considerable ability by the name of Paul McCartney, who played some really good drum fills on the track and set a great groove.

Peter Asher – From “The Beatles from A to Zed: An Alphabetical Mystery Tour“, 2019

On Saturday, January 13, [Mal Evans] made an appointment with Paul to bring Ringo’s drum kit from EMI Studios to 7 Cavendish Avenue so he could practice his percussion skills. […] Mal set up the kit in Paul’s basement, knowing full well that he would be transporting it back to the studio the very next day for the Beatle’s recording session with a crack lineup that included Paul on drums, Jeff Beck on guitar, Paul Samwell-Smith on bass, and Nicky Hopkins on keyboards.

From “Living the Beatles Legend: The untold story of Mal Evans” by Mal Evans, 2023

Paul McCartney was on drums on that session, It was during the time I used to hang out with Peter Asher and Paul wanted to play drums because he could.

Paul Jones – from the liner notes of The Paul Jones Collection (CD)

Locked into a low-paying contract that forced him to release below-par singles wholly unrepresentative of his undoubted talent or preferred musical direction, and with a band now on the verge of desertion, Beck continued to prop up his income with the odd session. The most notable of these was an inspired contribution to the B-side of ex-Manfred Mann singer Paul Jones’ single ‘And The Sun Will Shine’, cut in the early spring of 1968. Written by the Gibb Brothers – aka the Bee Gees – ‘And The Sun…’ was a fairly innocuous example of late-sixties pop balladry. But its flip side, ‘The Dog Presides’, was much more rewarding to the ear. Cut at Abbey Road’s famous Studio II, ‘The Dog Presides’, featured an all-star cast of musicians and fashionable London faces. Making his debut as a producer was Pete Asher of Peter & Gordon, a singing duo that had already achieved considerable notoriety with four million-selling singles, the best known of which was ‘A World Without Love’. The brother of Jane Asher – then dating Beatle Paul McCartney – Pete had asked McCartney to attend the session at which he ended up playing drums. Also along for the ride was Jeff’s former bandmate and now producer in his own right, Paul Samwell-Smith, who added bass guitar. To give things an extra helping of top-end sheen, Nicky Hopkins brought along his keyboard, leaving Beck to provide some typical fiery runes from the neck of his Gibson Les Paul. The result of all this superstar jamming was a cracking little tune, sung beautifully by Jones, whose panicky harmonica fills were a perfect complement to Jeff’s growling lead lines. For Beck, who reportedly earned a week’s rent from ‘The Dog Presides’, there was only one regret: “Well, all I remember [about it] was hoping Paul McCartney would sing”.

From “Hot Wired Guitar: The Life Of Jeff Beck” by Martin Power, 2014

Session activities

1. And The Sun Will Shine

   Written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb

   Recording

   AlbumOfficially released on And The Sun Will Shine / The Dog Presides

2. The Dog Presides

   Written by Paul Jones

   Recording

   AlbumOfficially released on And The Sun Will Shine / The Dog Presides

Staff

Musicians

Production staff

Hazel Fortune • 3 years ago

The PaulMcCartney Project • 3 years ago

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