22 MARCH 1963

"THE FIRST ALBUM WAS RECORDED IN ONE LONG TWELVE HOUR SESSION, WHICH THE LAST SONG TO BE DONE WAS A SONG CALLED TWIST AND SHOUT, WHICH NEARLY KILLED ME." JOHN "WE'D ALL SAID, 'WELL WHAT ABOUT THIS? WHAT ABOUT THIS?', COS BASICALLY THIS ALBUM WAS JUST WHAT WE DID LIVE IN THE CLUBS." GEORGE "OH GOD THIS IS IT, A PIECE OF PLASTIC. AND THIS PIECE OF PLASTIC WAS LIKE GOLD, YOU KNOW. YOU'D SELL YOUR SOUL. YOU WOULD SELL YOUR SOUL TO GET ON THAT LITTLE RECORD." RINGO "JOHN HAD TO SAVE TWIST AND SHOUT UNTIL THE LAST, AND HE WAS SUCKING ZOOBS ALL DAY - THOSE LITTLE THROAT TABLETS. AND HE FINALLY HAD TO DO TWIST AND SHOUT KNOWING HE HAD TO DO IT LAST BECAUSE IT WOULD JUST RIP HIS THROAT APART TO DO IT. IT WAS GREAT. YOU CAN STILL HEAR THAT ON THE RECORD." PAUL

22 NOVEMBER 1963

"IT'S ABOUT THE NEAREST IT COULD GET TO KNOWING WHAT WE SOUNDED LIKE BEFORE WE BECAME THE CLEVER BEATLES." JOHN "I WROTE MY FIRST SONG ON THIS ALBUM." GEORGE "WE COULD PLAY DIFFERENT STUFF LIVE FROM WHAT WAS RECORDED AND STILL HAVE STUFF LEFT OVER FOR THE NEXT ALBUM." PAUL "WE WEREN'T THINKING IN TERMS OF AN ALBUM BEING AN ENTITY BY ITSELF, IT WAS A COLLECTION OF THEIR SONGS AND I THINK ONE OR TWO OTHER PEOPLE'S SONGS AS WELL." GEORGE MARTIN

10 July 1964

"EVEN THOUGH WE FELT, 'YES, WE'RE ESTABLISHED AND WE'VE CONQUERED ALL THESE COUNTRIES AND WE'VE SOLD A LOT OF RECORDS AND THEY ALL LOVE US', IT WAS NOT A THOUGHT, 'IT'S GOING TO END TOMORROW', OR, 'IT'S GOING TO GO ON FOR EVER'. I NEVER SORT OF HAD THAT THOUGHT. IT WAS JUST HAPPENING NOW, YOU KNOW. IT WASN'T LIKE MAKING PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. IT WAS JUST ON THIS ROLL AND WE WERE ALL IN OUR EARLY TWENTIES AND WE WERE JUST GOING WITH IT." RINGO "IF YOU LOOK AT OUR ITINERARY SOME OF THOSE YEARS WHERE WE DID MAYBE A TOUR OF ENGLAND, A TOUR OF EUROPE, A TOUR OF AMERICA, TWO ALBUMS AND ABOUT FOUR EPS, AND THREE SINGLES, AND MADE A MOVIE ALL IN THE SAME YEAR - YOU THINK, 'OH JESUS, HOW DID WE DO THAT?'" GEORGE "WE OFTEN COULD RELY ON RINGO FOR TITLES COS RINGO HAD THIS HAPPY KNACK OF GETTING THINGS WRONG - LITTLE MALAPROPISMS - AND IT WAS ALWAYS BETTER THAN THE REAL ONE. SOMEONE SAID TO HIM, YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK A BIT TIRED TODAY. HE SAID, 'YEAH, I'VE HAD A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, YOU KNOW'. HE MEANT IT, AND WE ALL WENT, 'HARD DAY'S NIGHT, THAT'S GREAT!'" PAUL "I HAD ONE MIND THAT WROTE BOOKS OR FUNNY STORIES AND ANOTHER MIND THAT CHURNED OUT THINGS ABOUT I LOVE YOU AND YOU LOVE ME, COS THAT'S HOW PAUL AND I DID IT, YOU KNOW. LIKE, 'OH, YOU KNOW, LET'S WRITE ANOTHER OF THEM'." JOHN "HARD DAY'S NIGHT WAS THE FIRST BIG ONE THAT I DID. I HAD THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A DIRECTOR WHO WAS A MUSICIAN - DICK LESTER - WHO WAS QUITE A GOOD PIANIST. AND OF COURSE WE RECORDED THE SPECIAL SONGS FOR THE FILM AS, AS WE JUST DO ORDINARY RECORDINGS, AND DICK USED A LOT OF THE SONGS I'D ALREADY RECORDED, YOU KNOW, THE PAST ALBUMS. CAN'T BUY ME LOVE HAD ALREADY BEEN RECORDED, FOR EXAMPLE." GEORGE MARTIN

04 December 1964

"I USED TO GO OUT TO JOHN'S HOUSE IN WEYBRIDGE TO WRITE SONGS AND AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME I HAD BEEN BUSTED FOR SPEEDING, SO I HAD TO HAVE A DRIVER TO TAKE ME OUT THERE AND WE WERE CHATTING ON THE WAY AND I REMEMBER SAYING TO THE GUY, WELL HOW YOU BEEN, YOU KNOW, YOU BEEN BUSY? AND HE SAID, 'OH YEAH MATE, I'VE BEEN WORKING EIGHT DAYS A WEEK.' AND I WENT INTO JOHN'S HOUSE AND SAID, 'RIGHT, I'VE GOT THE TITLE EIGHT DAYS A WEEK' AND WE WROTE IT THERE AND THEN." PAUL "THE REHEARSAL WOULD GO ON IN THE STUDIO BECAUSE FROM VERY EARLY ON A LOT OF THE SONGS WEREN'T FINISHED, THE IDEAS WERE THERE FOR THE SONGS OR THE FIRST VERSE OR A CHORUS BUT IT, IT COULD BE CHANGED BY THE WRITERS AS WE WERE DOING IT." RINGO "THAT IS A RATHER NICE COVER THAT IS. ROBERT FREEMAN - NICE PHOTOS. WE SHOWED UP IN HYDE PARK NEAR THE ALBERT MEMORIAL AND HE WAS QUITE IMPRESSED BY GEORGE'S HAIR THEN - A MARVELLOUS LITTLE TURNIP TOP HE'D MANAGED TO CREATE." PAUL "IN THOSE DAYS WE DIDN'T RELEASE A SINGLE OFF AN ALBUM OR RATHER WHEN WE CAME TO PUT AN ALBUM TOGETHER WE DID NOT INCLUDE THE SINGLE IN IT. I THINK IF I HAVE A FAVOURITE ON THE ALBUM IT IS PAUL'S SONG OF I'LL FOLLOW THE SUN." GEORGE MARTIN "MUSICALLY WE WERE LEARNING A LOT. YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHERE WE LEARNED A LOT OF THE MUSIC PUTTING TOGETHER - SOME OF THE ARRANGEMENTS AND THINGS, YOU KNOW. WE WERE QUITE QUICK IN THE STUDIO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT - TWO SONGS IN THREE HOURS." PAUL

06 August 1965

"I HAD THESE TWO GUYS WHO USED TO WRITE SONGS WHENEVER WE NEEDED SOME. I THINK WE JUST CALLED THEM UP AND SAID, 'LOOK, WE'LL BE DOING A MOVIE NOW LADS, WILL YOU COME UP WITH A COUPLE OF CATCHY HITS?'" GEORGE "I THINK IT WAS LARGELY JOHN'S - THE ACTUAL TICKET TO RIDE BIT. WE WROTE IT TOGETHER YOU SEE, WITH JOHN AND I. CERTAIN SONGS WOULD NEARLY ALWAYS BE THE IDEA OF ONE OF US. ONE OF US HAD ACTUALLY SAID, 'TICKET TO RIDE WOULD BE GOOD', THE OTHER ONE WOULD SAY, 'OKAY, THAT'S WHAT WE'LL WRITE TODAY'." PAUL "I REMEMBER PAUL PLAYING TO ME YESTERDAY AND HE CALLED IT SCRAMBLED EGG. IT WASN'T UNTIL HE GOT THE LYRIC TOGETHER THAT WE DECIDED TO RECORD IT - SO HE WENT DOWN AND SAT ON A HIGH STOOL WITH HIS ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND SANG YESTERDAY." GEORGE MARTIN

3 DECEMBER 1965

"WHEN WE WERE WORKING ON NORWEGIAN WOOD... IT JUST NEEDED SOMETHING. I JUST PICKED THE SITAR UP AND KIND OF FOUND THE NOTES, AND I JUST KIND OF PLAYED IT... AND IT JUST SEEMED TO HIT THE SPOT." GEORGE "OUR WHOLE ATTITUDE WAS CHANGING - WE'D GROWN UP A LITTLE. I THINK GRASS WAS REALLY INFLUENTIAL IN A LOT OF OUR CHANGES, ESPECIALLY WITH THE WRITERS." RINGO "THE TITLE RUBBER SOUL WAS KIND OF, 'HEY MAN, IT'S GOT SOUL - IT'S A LOT OF SOUL. A LOT OF SOUL, THAT MUSIC'. - IT WAS A SPOOF ON THAT YOU KNOW. SEEMED NICE AND AMUSING. VERY US - YOU KNOW, VERY WHACKY." PAUL "WE WERE GETTING MORE FINE TUNED REALLY. MORE OF THE SAME, BUT FINE TUNING IT. I MEAN WE CERTAINLY KNEW WE WERE MAKING A GOOD ALBUM, THEN." GEORGE "WE ALWAYS WANTED EVERY SINGLE RECORD TO HAVE A DIFFERENT SOUND. WE NEVER WANTED TO GET TRAPPED IN THIS THE MERSEY BEAT." PAUL "THEY WERE GETTING MORE AND MORE INTERESTED IN UNUSUAL SOUNDS. THEY WERE TRYING OUT NEW INSTRUMENTS AND ALWAYS COMING TO ME SAYING, 'WHAT, WHAT IDEAS HAVE YOU GOT FOR THIS?". GEORGE MARTIN

5 AUGUST 1966

"WE WERE HAVING MORE FUN IN THE STUDIO, FROM REVOLVER. RUBBER SOUL, AS IT WAS BUILDING UP IT WAS GETTING MORE EXPERIMENTAL. THE SONGS WERE GETTING BETTER. MORE INTERESTING... SO THAT'S WHERE WE WERE GOING." RINGO "THAT'S THE FIRST RECORD WITH BACKWARDS MUSIC ON IT; BEFORE HENDRIX, BEFORE THE WHO, BEFORE ANY F**KER." JOHN "ONE DAY, TAPE OP GOT THE TAPE ON BACKWARDS, WENT TO PLAY IT AND IT __...' - BLOODY HELL, IT SOUNDS INDIAN!'." PAUL "MUSICALLY, I FELT WE WERE PROGRESSING IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS. SOME OF THE STUFF ON THIS AND THE RUBBER SOUL ALBUM WAS BRILLIANT. THERE WAS NOTHING LIKE IT." RINGO "HE'D COME UP WITH THINGS LIKE, 'WELL, HAVE YOU HEARD AN OBOE?', ' - NO, WHICH ONE'S THAT?'. 'IT'S THIS ONE'. THAT WOULD BE NICE. SO, IT WAS REALLY WE GREW TOGETHER." JOHN "IT WAS ON REVOLVER THAT, OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE TRACK TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS - WHICH WAS A GREAT INNOVATION." GEORGE MARTIN

1 JUNE 1967

"I MADE A SUGGESTION. I SAID, 'WE NEED TO GET AWAY FROM OURSELVES - HOW ABOUT IF WE JUST BECOME SORT OF AN ALTER EGO BAND?' " Paul WE WERE REALLY SPENDING A LONG TIME IN THE STUDIO AND WE WERE STILL DOING THE BASIC TRACKS LIKE WE ALWAYS DID AND THEN IT WOULD TAKE WEEKS FOR THE OVERDUBS." Ringo IN THE MORNING WE'D DRIVE INTO ABBEY ROAD IN JOHN'S BLACKED OUT ROLLS ROYCE, FALL OUT OF THE BACK OF THE CAR INTO THE STUDIO." George

27 NOVEMBER 1967

"IT WAS LIKE WE WERE IN ANOTHER PHASE OF OUR CAREER YOU KNOW WE'D DONE ALL THE LIVE STUFF AND THAT WAS MARVELLOUS, NOW WE WERE INTO BEING MORE ARTISTS. WE GOT MORE FREEDOM TO BE ARTISTS." PAUL "IF YOU THINK IT WAS GOOD, KEEP IT, IF YOU DON'T, SCRAP IT." JOHN "YOU HAVE SUCCESS WITH SOMETHING THAT MIGHT HAVE SEEMED LIKE A FAR OUT IDEA, PEOPLE HAD SAID WOW THIS IS GREAT AND SO WHEN WE'D COME BACK AGAIN GEORGE WOULD BE REALLY QUITE KEEN TO TRY, WHAT OTHER IDEAS HAVE YOU GOT?" GEORGE "AND NOW WE ARE GOING TO PLAY A TRACK FROM MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR WHICH IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE ALBUMS BECAUSE IT WAS SO WEIRD I AM THE WALRUS, ONE OF MY FAVOURITE TRACKS BECAUSE I DID IT OF COURSE BUT ALSO COS IT'S ONE OF THOSE THAT HAS ENOUGH LITTLE BITTIES GOING TO KEEP YOU INTERESTED EVEN A HUNDRED YEARS LATER." JOHN "THE BEATLES SONGS HAD STARTED TO SOUND MORE INDIVIDUAL FROM REVOLVER ONWARDS OR EVEN BEFORE THEN." GEORGE MARTIN