Wednesday, August 28, 1968
Recording "Dear Prudence"
For The Beatles
Last updated on October 27, 2024
Wednesday, August 28, 1968
For The Beatles
Last updated on October 27, 2024
"The Beatles" (aka the White Album) sessions
May 30 - Oct 18, 1968 • Songs recorded during this session appear on The Beatles (Mono)
Recording studio: Trident Studios, London, UK
Single Aug 26, 1968 • "Sour Milk Sea / The Eagle Laughs at You" by Jackie Lomax released in the US
Session Aug 27, 1968 • Tape copying "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Blackbird", "Not Guilty", "Revolution 9"
Session Aug 28, 1968 • Recording "Dear Prudence"
Session Aug 29, 1968 • Recording "Dear Prudence"
Article Aug 30, 1968 • Paul McCartney attends Neil Aspinall's wedding
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "The Beatles (Mono)" LP
On this day, The Beatles began the recording of John Lennon’s “Dear Prudence” at Trident Studios. They were still a trio because Ringo Starr had temporarily left the group on August 22. Previously, The Beatles had utilized Trident’s facilities on July 31, 1968, to record “Hey Jude,” taking advantage of the studio’s eight-track machine.
The recording session started at 5 pm and concluded at 7 am. The eight-track recording equipment provided more versatility than the four-track systems at Abbey Road, allowing the band to re-record their parts as they developed the song and perfect what was registered as Take 1:
The eight-track facility meant that it could be recorded track by track, each one perfected over a number of times while simultaneously wiping previous attempts. This method of working makes the ‘take one’ statistic look distinctly silly for, although it was just one ‘take,’ it was innumerable recordings.
From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988
The basic track recorded that day featured John Lennon and George Harrison on acoustic guitars, with Paul McCartney on drums. George then overdubbed double-tracked lead guitar parts, and Paul added drum fills toward the end of the track.
The work on “Dear Prudence” continued at Trident the following day, August 29, 1968.
Recording • Take 1
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 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.
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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