Recording "Yer Blues", recording and mixing "Mother Nature's Son", "Wild Honey Pie"

The day started with a very short session, from 5 pm to 5:30 pm as per EMI records, to finalize the mono mix of “Yer Blues“. On that day, George Harrison was away on holiday in Greece.

By August 14, The Beatles had finished recording “Yer Blues” and had produced a mono mix. On this day, they decided to introduce the song with a count-in “two, three…“.

Although Ringo Starr had recorded some count-ins on August 13, it was ultimately John Lennon’s count-in from take 5 that was included in the final version. This is confirmed by the complete take 5 available on the 2018 re-release of the White Album.

This count-in was edited into the mono mix to create the master recording.

Efforts were then focused on the mono mix of “Revolution 9“. The stereo mix had been completed on June 25. Given that the complex stereo mix could not be replicated for a mono version, it was decided to produce a direct copy of Remix Stereo 2 by merging both channels. This was designated as Remix Mono 1.

On August 26, another copy, Remix Mono 2, was made and became the mono version released for the track.

Paul McCartney recorded “Mother Nature’s Son” solo, without the other Beatles, on August 9. He was again alone for this overdub session, which lasted from 8 pm to 4 am.

It was quite late at night, the whole building was quiet, and there was Paul playing this enchanting song. I love the phrase “sitting in my field of grass”. It has a completeness about it. It isn’t just any old field, it’s a field of grass. We were all moved by it. Simultaneous to this recording session, Russia was invading Czechoslovakia. Of course, we didn’t know it at that moment, but it did seem such a constrast of events…

Alan Brown – Technical engineer ​ – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988

On June 11, while recording “Blackbird,” John Lennon proposed adding “a very nice little bit of brass band.” Paul McCartney concurred, commenting, “Yes, that would be lovely.” He then performed an early rendition of “Mother Nature’s Son” on the acoustic guitar, suggesting, “that would be nice with a brass band…like four…cornet, euphonium…little.” Ultimately, “Blackbird” remained unadorned, but “Mother Nature’s Son” was enhanced with brass instruments — two trumpets and two trombones — on that day.

Paul was downstairs going through the arrangement with George [Martin] and the brass players. Everything was great, everyone was in great spirits. It felt really good. Suddenly, half way through, John and Ringo walked in and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. An instant change. It was like that for ten minutes and then as soon as they left it felt great again. It was very bizarre.

Ken Scott – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988

After recording the brass instruments, two reduction mixes, Take 25 and Take 26, were created for additional overdubs.

The percussive elements added to Take 26 were particularly creative. Paul recorded a bass drum sound captured in a staircase. He also utilized a book, believed to be “The Song of Hiawatha” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, tapping out a rhythm on it that he found interesting.

Subsequently, Paul added a double-tracked vocal and a second acoustic guitar part towards the end of the track. These final touches marked the completion of the recording.

Although eight attempts at a mono mix were then made, the definitive mono and stereo mixes were made on October 12.

Paul wanted an open effect on his drums (to give a bongos sound) and we ended up leaving the studio itself and putting the drums in the corridor, halfway down, with mikes at the far end. It wasn’t carpeted then and it gave an interesting staccato effect.

Alan Brown – Technical engineer ​ – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988

An example of a wild experiment in trying to get a different sound came during the recording of “Mother Nature’s Son.” Paul decided that he wanted a distant sound on the drums. Right at the end of EMI there was a staircase that went from the basement all the way to the top of the building, so we set up some drums at the bottom, and I put a mic up at the same level as the control room to capture it. When Paul hit the bass drum, much to everyone’s surprise it sounded like tympani, and that’s what you hear on the record at 1:54.

A bit later while listening to a playback, Paul began tapping a pencil to the beat of the song on the cover of a book that he had on his lap, and decided that should be in the song as well. They never taught you how to get the best sound out of a book at EMI, but I carefully miked it as best I could, and you can hear it about a minute into the song. These were the kinds of things that we were always trying. Sometimes they worked, and sometimes they didn’t.

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

During the session, Paul recorded one take of “Etcetera” as a demo, while waiting for session musicians to arrive. After the take was recorded, the tape was taken away by George Martin’s assistant, Chris Thomas. The recording is said to have lyrics, a bridge, and an introduction that is reminiscent of “Here, There and Everywhere“.

This was a very beautiful song. I recall it was a ballad and had the word ‘etcetera’ several times in the lyric. I only heard it twice: when he recorded it and when we played it back to him. The tape was taken away and I’ve never heard of it since.

Alan Brown – Engineer – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, 1988

Around 2 am, Paul began recording a new experiment that would later appear on the White Album as “Wild Honey Pie“. Similar to “Mother Nature’s Son”, Paul was the only performer on this track.

The 53-seconds long “Wild Honey Pie” was started and completed on this day. A single take was recorded with Paul on acoustic guitar, lead vocals, and keeping rhythm with Ringo Starr’s bass drum. Subsequent overdubs were added to Take 1, with Paul recording two more tracks of acoustic guitar and vocals, one of which also included the bass drum. The final overdub included tom-toms played with a mallet and backing vocals.

The track underwent mono mixing, resulting in six attempts labelled Remix Mono 1 to 6, with RM6 being selected for the White Album. The session concluded at 4 am.

The stereo mix was made on October 13.

I started off with the guitar and did a multi-tracking experiment in the control room or maybe in the little room next door.

Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles” Super Deluxe edition book (2018)

Much later on, at the beginning of October, the fellows recorded “Honey Pie” at Trident. This is NOT the same thing. “Wild Honey Pie” is a very short “link” track on the LP, under a minute in playing time. Paul did this more or less on his own, almost a McCartney ad-lib in fact. He sings and plays both guitar and bass drum, double-tracking the whole thing so that he finishes up sounding like a couple of singers and a quarter of guitarists!

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

For “Wild Honey Pie”, we’d very recently done John’s “Yer Blues” where we’d packed ourselves into a cupboard, so we were in an experimental mode, and so I said, ‘Can I just make something up?’ I started off with the guitar and did a multitracking experiment in the control room or maybe in the little room next door. It was very home-made; it wasn’t a big production at all. I just made up the short piece and I multitracked a harmony to that, and a harmony to that, and a harmony to that, and built it up scupturally with a lot of vibrato on the strings, really pulling the strings madly. Hence, “Wild Honey Pie”, which was a reference to the other song I had written called “Honey Pie”. It was a little experimental piece.

Paul McCartney – From “Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now” by Barry Miles, 1997

Session activities

1. Yer Blues

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Editing • Editing of remix mono 3 and count-in

   AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (Mono)

2. Revolution 9

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Tape copying • Mono copy 1, from edit of remix stereo 2

3. Mother Nature's Son

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • SI onto take 24

4. Mother Nature's Son

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Tape copying • Tape reduction take 24 into take 26

5. Mother Nature's Son

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • SI onto take 26

6. Etcetera

   Written by Paul McCartney

   Recording • Take 1

7. Wild Honey Pie

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • Take 1

8. Wild Honey Pie

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Recording • SI onto Take 1

9. Mother Nature's Son

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 1 from take 26

10. Mother Nature's Son

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 2 from take 26

11. Mother Nature's Son

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 3 from take 26

12. Mother Nature's Son

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 4 from take 26

13. Mother Nature's Son

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 5 from take 26

14. Mother Nature's Son

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 6 from take 26

15. Mother Nature's Son

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 7 from take 26

16. Mother Nature's Son

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 8 from take 26

17. Wild Honey Pie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 1 from take 1

18. Wild Honey Pie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 2 from take 1

19. Wild Honey Pie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 3 from take 1

20. Wild Honey Pie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 4 from take 1

21. Wild Honey Pie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 5 from take 1

22. Wild Honey Pie

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Mixing • Mono mixing - Remix 6 from take 1

    AlbumOfficially released on The Beatles (Mono)

Staff

Musicians on "Mother Nature's Son"

Musicians on "Wild Honey Pie"

Production staff

Going further

• http://www.beatlesbyday.com/photo/2015/8/6/white-album-jam

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