Label: Black Dog BD001
1. Yesterday - take 1
The centerpiece of this collection is the original acetate of Yesterday, Take 1. This
was recorded on June 14, 1965 and mixed for mono three days later. Although
published information lists both remixes as deriving from Take 2 (the released
version), obviously at least one remix was made of Take 1, because here it is!
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - takes 1 [excerpt] and 2
The engineer's announcement and some pre-song chatter preface Take I of this
song (then known simply as This Bird Has Flown). This was recorded October
12, 1965. We've omitted most of the take here, which can be found on Yellow
Dog's Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 2. What's really new here is Take 2, which, as
one would expect, falls musically halfway between take 1 and the finished take 4.
3. 12-Bar Original - takes 1 [break- down), take 2 and un-numbered take [excerpt])
Surprisingly, this Green Onion vatriant lasts only 10 seconds before breaking
down. Even more surprisingly, the long Take 2 is followed by another
(fragmentary) two-minute performance, undoc- umented in published sources. Even
though Take 2 appears on the Yellow Dog CD Acetates, it appears here in true
stereo for the first time.
4. That Means a Lot - take 23, "test"
These are the only available tapes of the up-tempo "re-make" from March 30,
1965. Unlike the dirge-like take 1 (available on Unsurpassed Masters Volume 2),
this more lively rendition at least shows some promise. The second of the two
takes, introduced by McCartney as a "test", is probably take 24.
5. I'm So Tired - reconstruction - take 14
I'm So Tired originally featured prominent organ and guitar parts which were
mixed out of the released track. This is an attempt to re-mix the missing parts back
into the song, so we can hear how it might have originally been intended. Recorded October 8, 1968.
6. Penny Lane - overdub session
On January 9th, 1967 six session musi- cians and George Martin gathered
together to add another layer to Pennv Lane. Here's an excerpt from that overdub
session, as aired on the American radio series The Lost Lennon Tapes.
7. The Inner Light - backing track
The original backing track for the song recorded by Indian musicians during the
Wonderwall sessions on January 12th, 1968.
8. Revolution - video soundtrack
The backing track here is the same as on the legitimate release, but the vocals
were re-recorded on September 4th, 1968 for the promotional film.
9. I'm So Tired - take 14
10. I'm So Tired - remixes
From a safety copy, evidently dubbed from the mixing session of October 15,
1968. If you listen carefully, you'll notice the unsuccessful attempts to mix the
original guitar and organ parts out.
11. I Am The Walrus - take 17
Similar to the basic tracks version that appears on Yellow Dog's Acetates CD.
Although this is from a different source, it might well be the same mix. Recorded September 5, 1967.
12. Instrumental - unknown
This odd instrumental circulated among collectors as 12-Bar Original before the
actual thing surfaced. A clean version was even used as background on the
American Lost Lennon Tapes series. We're not sure what, when, or even who this is.
13. The Long and Winding Road - unknown
This sounds like a home rehearsal tape -which is suspicious, since the piano style
does not really sound like McCartney's. If a genuine McCartney recording, it
would date from 1968, pre dating the "Let It Be" sessions in early 1969. You be the judge.
14. Paperback Writer - remix
This remix is different flom the raw tracks available on Unsurpassed Masters Volume 3; recorded April 13th, 1966.
© 1998 David Laurie