Friday, June 23, 1967
For The Beatles
Last updated on February 26, 2024
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
Interview Jun 19, 1967 • Paul McCartney interview for The Daily Mirror
Session Jun 21, 1967 • Mixing "All You Need Is Love"
Session Jun 23, 1967 • Recording "All You Need Is Love" #3
Session Jun 24, 1967 • Recording "All You Need Is Love" #4
Interview Jun 24, 1967 • Press conference for The Beatles' "Our World" performance
May 18, 1967 • The Beatles will participate in "Our World"
Jun 14, 1967 • Recording "All You Need Is Love" #1
June 17-22, 1967 • Mike Vickers writes the orchestra arrangement for "All You Need Is Love"
Jun 19, 1967 • Recording "All You Need Is Love" #2
Jun 21, 1967 • Mixing "All You Need Is Love"
Jun 23, 1967 • Recording "All You Need Is Love" #3
Jun 24, 1967 • Recording "All You Need Is Love" #4
Jun 24, 1967 • Press conference for The Beatles' "Our World" performance
Jun 25, 1967 • Our World TV Broadcast: The Beatles' performance of "All You Need Is Love"
Jun 25, 1967 • Shooting of "All You Need Is Love" promo film
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "All You Need Is Love / Baby You're A Rich Man (UK)" 7" Single
On May 18, 1967, Brian Epstein signed a contract for The Beatles to appear as Britain’s representatives on “Our World”, a live television production that would be broadcast internationally via satellite on June 25. For this momentous occasion, The Beatles chose to record “All You Need Is Love”, a track written by John Lennon, and perform parts of it live.
The Beatles began recording “All You Need Is Love” on June 14, 1967, at Olympic Sound Studios, and continued working on it at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, on June 19. A mono mix was prepared on June 21, which was used as a reference for the orchestra’s scoring by George Martin.
On June 17, Mike Vickers, a member of Manfred Mann, was asked to write the orchestra arrangement, as George Martin had some personal constraints. Mike Vickers was also asked to conduct the orchestra during the rehearsals and live recordings, as George Martin would be busy producing the session on the day of the broadcast. He completed the writing of the score on June 22.
On this day, June 23, from 8 to 11 pm in Abbey Road Studio 1, the 13-piece orchestra, composed of four violins, two cellos, two tenor saxophones, two trombones, two trumpets, an accordion, and a flügelhorn, was brought in for the first rehearsals.
“All You Need Is Love” was actually quite simple when it was first presented and routined, but it grew more and more complicated as it got structured. Even though it was a Lennon composition, I noticed that Paul was taking charge to a great degree, certainly in terms of making suggestions and interfacing with the classical musicians, many of whom (like trumpeter David Mason) had worked with us before. Because George Martin wanted to remain in the control room, Mike Vickers of the band Manfred Mann was recruited to conduct.
Geoff Emerick – From “Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles“, 2006
Ten takes, numbered 34 to 43, were recorded on this day, with John Lennon on vocals, Paul McCartney on bass and backing vocals, George Harrison on guitar and backing vocals, Ringo Starr on drums and the orchestra. The orchestra returned to EMI Studios for additional rehearsals the following day and to perform live during the broadcast on June 25.
On this day, the decision was made to release “All You Need Is Love” as a single after the broadcast.
On the Friday evening, in the middle of a dress rehearsal, Brian Epstein came in and held a meeting with George Martin and the band in the Studio One control room, during which they debated the wisdom of rush-releasing the upcoming performance as a single. John, of course, was keen—it was his song, after all—and it didn’t take much effort to talk Paul into it, either, since he knew the value of the massive publicity they would be receiving by virtue of the broadcast, thereby guaranteeing huge record sales. Only George Harrison was reluctant; presumably he was worried that he might muff his solo, even though it was only four bars long. He was finally persuaded when George Martin assured him that we could stay late afterward and do any necessary repair work. Their decision, of course, added even more pressure on me. I now had to not only do the sound for the live broadcast—the BBC truck parked outside would be receiving a feed of the monitor mix I would be creating as the Beatles and the orchestral musicians were playing live—but I had to get everything recorded cleanly on tape as well.
Geoff Emerick – From “Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles“, 2006
Tape copying • Tape reduction take 10
Recording • Take 34 as SI onto take 10
Recording • Take 35 as SI onto take 10
Recording • Take 36 as SI onto take 10
Recording • Take 37 as SI onto take 10
Recording • Take 38 as SI onto take 10
Recording • Take 39 as SI onto take 10
Recording • Take 40 as SI onto take 10
Recording • Take 41 as SI onto take 10
Recording • Take 42 as SI onto take 10
Recording • Take 43 as SI onto take 10
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions • Mark Lewisohn
The definitive guide for every Beatles recording sessions from 1962 to 1970.
We owe a lot to Mark Lewisohn for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - the number of takes for each song, who contributed what, a description of the context and how each session went, various photographies... And an introductory interview with Paul McCartney!
The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 3: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band through Magical Mystery Tour (late 1966-1967)
The third book of this critically - acclaimed series, nominated for the 2019 Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) award for Excellence In Historical Recorded Sound, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 3: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band through Magical Mystery Tour (late 1966-1967)" captures the band's most innovative era in its entirety. From the first take to the final remix, discover the making of the greatest recordings of all time. Through extensive, fully-documented research, these books fill an important gap left by all other Beatles books published to date and provide a unique view into the recordings of the world's most successful pop music act.
If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.
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