Timeline Albums, EPs & singles Songs Films Concerts Sessions People Interviews Articles

Tuesday, October 1, 1968

Recording and mixing "Honey Pie"

For The Beatles

Last updated on August 27, 2021


Master session

Location

  • Recording studio: Trident Studios, London, UK

Timeline

Master release

AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "The Beatles (Mono)" LP

Some of the songs from this session also appear on:

For this new week of recording for the White Album, The Beatles were back at Trident Studios. They had spent some time there, from August 31 to August 6, to record “Hey Jude” and benefit from the eight-track recording facilities of the studios, something that was not yet available at the EMI Studios, Abbey Road. But by October, eight-track recording was available at EMI Studios. Mark Lewisohn suggests they only needed “a change of scenery“.

On this day, The Beatles started working on Paul McCartney’s “Honey Pie“. By the end of they day, the basic track was recorded with Paul McCartney on piano, George Harrison on bass, John Lennon on electric guitar and Ringo Starr on drums. It was called Take 1, even if two reels of tape were filled with rehearsals for the song.

George Martin (with assistance from engineer Barry Sheffield) then made a rough mono mix for himself, so that he could write the brass and woodwind arrangement.

Work on “Honey Pie” continued the day after.

From The Beatles Recording – Posts | Facebook – Photo by Linda McCartney / Linda Enterprises Ltd. © Paul McCartney
From The Beatles Recording – Posts | Facebook – Photo by Linda McCartney / Linda Enterprises Ltd. © Paul McCartney
From The Beatles Recording – Posts | Facebook – Photo by Linda McCartney / Linda Enterprises Ltd. © Paul McCartney
From The Beatles Recording – Posts | Facebook – Photo by Linda McCartney / Linda Enterprises Ltd. © Paul McCartney

Session activities

  1. Honey Pie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 1

  2. Honey Pie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - rough remix from take 1


Staff

Musicians on "Honey Pie"

Production staff


Going further

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!

Shop on Amazon

The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)

The fourth book of this critically acclaimed series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 4: The Beatles through Yellow Submarine (1968 - early 1969)" captures The Beatles as they take the lessons of Sgt. Pepper forward with an ambitious double-album that is equally innovative and progressive. 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.

Shop on Amazon

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.

Read more on The Beatles Bible

Paul McCartney writing

Talk more talk, chat more chat

Notice any inaccuracies on this page? Have additional insights or ideas for new content? Or just want to share your thoughts? We value your feedback! Please use the form below to get in touch with us.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2024 • Please note this site is strictly non-commercial. All pictures, videos & quoted texts remain the property of the respective copyright owner, and no implication of ownership by us is intended or should be inferred. Any copyright owner who wants something removed should contact us and we will do so immediately. Alternatively, we would be delighted to provide credits.