Recording "Cry Baby Cry"

The previous day, The Beatles rehearsed John Lennon’s “Cry Baby Cry,” dedicating this day to its recording.

Between 4 pm and 9 pm, they recorded 10 takes of the basic track, featuring John Lennon on acoustic guitar and vocals, Paul McCartney on bass, George Harrison on the organ, and Ringo Starr on drums. Take 10 was deemed the best, leading to two reduction mixes, labelled as Take 11 and Take 12.

Take 1 was released on the Anthology 3:

The basic master of John Lennon’s Cry Baby Cry was captured at the end of a mid-evening recording session in Abbey Road on 16 July 1968. Five hours earlier this Anthology selection – Take 1 – was laid down, performed live at the studio, without overdubs. Although never used, it proved that the players were immediately on the right track.

From the liner notes of Anthology 3

Between 10 pm and 2 am, the initial overdubs were added onto take 12. George Martin played the harmonium, and there was also a piano part added. Mark Lewisohn’s “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” attributes the piano to John, whereas the 2018 super deluxe edition of “The Beatles” credits Paul with the piano.

The night we started making this one I jotted in my diary “That George sure wields a mean blues axe. That Paul tools a real smooth heavy-axe that is”. This is John’s number all the way with strong, heavy and very Lennon vocal. He also plays piano and organ. I suppose you could call this a Beatles-type nursery rhyme – all about the King of Marigold, his wife and kids, The Duchess of Kirkcaldy and her Duke. With a midnight seance round the table put into the last verse for good measure! George Martin plays harmonium.

Mal Evans – From the Beatles Monthly Book, N°64, November 1968

However, the highlight of the session was when engineer Geoff Emerick announced he was leaving The Beatles’ recording sessions:

I lost interest in the ‘White Album’ because they were really arguing amongst themselves and swearing at each other. The expletives were really flying. There was one instance just before I left when they were doing ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ for the umpteenth time. Paul was re-recording the vocal again [On July 15] and George Martin made some remark about how he should be lilting onto the half-beat or whatever and Paul, in no refined way, said something to the effect of ‘Well you come down and sing it.’ I said to George [Martin] ‘Look, I’ve had enough. I want to leave. I don’t want to know any more.’ George said ‘Well, leave at the end of the week’ – I think it was a Monday or Tuesday – but I said ‘No, I want to leave now, this very minute’. And that was it.

Geoff Emerick – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988

The next afternoon, I walked dejectedly into the control room, where both Richard (Lush) and George Martin were sitting quietly. None of The Beatles had arrived yet: they were late as usual. I took a deep breath and at last the words came out. ‘That’s it, George,’ I announced. ‘I’ve decided I can’t take it anymore. I’m leaving.’… ‘What are you talking about?’ he said. ‘You can’t leave in the middle of an album.’ ‘I can, George, and I am.’

Geoff Emerick – From “Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles“, 2006

Oh, it was a nightmare. I was becoming physically sick just thinking of going to the studio each night. I used to love working with the band. By that point, I dreaded it. Getting out was the only thing I could do.

Geoff Emerick – From MusicRadar, 2014 interview

Geoff Emerick would resume his work with The Beatles on April 14, 1969, for the recording of “The Ballad Of John And Yoko” and then for the “Abbey Road” album. For the remainder of the White Album sessions, he was succeeded by Ken Scott, who recalled those times less critically than Emerick:

Over the years there has been so much written about the animosity that supposedly pervaded the studio. It’s all been blown way out of proportion. Of course, there was some strife, but there always is during any project, and what The Beatles experienced during the making of the ‘White Album’ just wasn’t that different from what I’ve experienced on most projects at some time or another.

Ken Scott – From “Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust: Off the Record with The Beatles, Bowie, Elton & So Much More” by Ken Scott and Bobby Owsinski, 2012

The Beatles continued working on “Cry Baby Cry” two days after, on July 18.

Session activities

1. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 1

   AlbumOfficially released on Anthology 3

2. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 2

3. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 3

4. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 4

5. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 5

6. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 6

7. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 7

8. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 8

9. Cry Baby Cry

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 9

10. Cry Baby Cry

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • Take 10

11. Cry Baby Cry

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Tape copying • Tape reduction take 10 into take 11

12. Cry Baby Cry

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Tape copying • Tape reduction take 10 into take 12

13. Cry Baby Cry

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • SI onto take 12

Staff

Musicians on "Cry Baby Cry"

Production staff

Going further

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