Album This song officially appears on the Thingumybob / Yellow Submarine 7" Single.
Timeline This song was officially released in 1968
Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1968, when Paul McCartney was 26 years old)
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Jun 30, 1968
Unreleased song
May 2003 • From MOJO
“Thingumybob” series premieres on UK TV
Aug 02, 1968
“Thingumybob” is an instrumental track written by Paul McCartney in 1968, to serve as the theme tune for an eponymous TV comedy series. It was recorded by the Black Dyke Mills Band, a famous brass band, in Saltaire near Bradford, on June 30, 1968. McCartney produced this session.
“Thingumybob” was first heard during the broadcast of the first episode of the TV series on August 2, 1968. It was then released as one of the first singles issued on the Beatles’ music label Apple, in the UK, on August 31, 1968.
In August 20, 1968, Paul McCartney was in the studio to record for the next Beatles album, and he played one take of an unreleased song named “Etcetera“. Some have considered that this song was related to “Thingumybob“, even if it was never heard.
According to Beatles Bible:
One of the rarest of all Beatles-era recordings, Etcetera was an early version of Thingumybob, written by Paul McCartney and later recorded by the Black Dyke Mills Band for Apple Records. […] Thingumybob had been recorded in Saltaire near Bradford, Yorkshire on 30 June 1968. McCartney produced the session, and the song was released by Apple, meaning that the EMI studio staff may not have recognised its similarity to Etcetera.
Thingumybob / Yellow Submarine
7" Single • Released in 1968
1:49 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : ProducerPerformed by : Black Dyke Mills Band
Session Recording: Jun 30, 1968 • Studio At Victoria Hall, in Saltaire near Bradord, UK
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
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