Monday 26 October 1970 | Stereo mixing | Studio Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London
On 26 October 1970, a stereo mix was prepared for the Plastic Ono Band recording of “Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)”. John Lennon and Yoko Ono were credited as producers, with Phil McDonald and Andy Stephens engineering.
The crucial distinction is the version. This work concerned a re-recording made on 25 October 1970, not the original studio recording issued the previous year as the B-side of “Cold Turkey”.
The session at a glance
| Date | Monday 26 October 1970 |
|---|---|
| Location | Studio Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road |
| Task | Stereo mixing |
| Song | Don’t Worry Kyoko |
| Producers | John Lennon and Yoko Ono |
| Engineers | Phil McDonald and Andy Stephens |
| Recording being mixed | The 25 October 1970 re-recording |
| Earlier studio version | Recorded 3 October 1969; issued with Cold Turkey |
| Later archive context | The 2021 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band expanded collection |
Yoko Ono’s song, not simply a Lennon B-side
“Don’t Worry Kyoko” was Yoko Ono’s song, written for her daughter Kyoko. Its association with a John Lennon single does not change that authorship or make it merely an adjunct to “Cold Turkey”.
The official account of the original single identifies it as Yoko’s second single and describes its release as the B-side of Lennon’s second solo single with the Plastic Ono Band.
The long title appears with wording variations in different listings, including “her hand” and “a hand”. The shorter title, “Don’t Worry Kyoko”, provides a clear way to follow the song across its different performances and recordings.
The 1969 recording and Cold Turkey
The original studio recording dates to 3 October 1969. It was released later that month with “Cold Turkey”, establishing a commercial history well before the October 1970 session.
A reference to “mixing Don’t Worry Kyoko” in 1970 therefore needs more detail. Without identifying the re-recording, it could wrongly suggest that the already released 1969 performance had simply waited a year for a stereo mix.
That is not the sequence described in the dated account: a new recording was made, then mixed the following day.
25 October 1970: returning to the song
The preceding day’s work included a new version of “Don’t Worry Kyoko”, featuring Lennon and Ono on vocals. It arose in the same period as work on Yoko’s “Greenfield Morning I Pushed an Empty Baby Carriage All Over the City”.
Our Greenfield Morning article for 25 October 1970 provides the immediate session context. The songs and the tasks should still be distinguished: work on one does not establish that every recording, edit or instrumental contribution associated with the other happened at the same moment.
In particular, broad personnel credits from the surrounding album sessions should not be transferred automatically to this individual re-recording.
26 October: a stereo mix in Studio Three
The next day’s task was stereo mixing at EMI’s Studio Three. The session credit names John and Yoko as producers and Phil McDonald and Andy Stephens as engineers.
Mixing works with existing recorded material. It is not, by itself, evidence of another full performance by the musicians. No unsupported take count, precise booking time or new overdub is added here.
The distinction between 25 October recording and 26 October mixing is the centre of this entry. It keeps the dated chronology useful without overstating what the available account records.
How the 2021 archive release fits
The newer “Don’t Worry Kyoko” recording became part of the expanded archive history represented by the 2021 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band collection.
The official expanded-edition tracklist includes “Don’t Worry Kyoko” among the Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band live-session material. It also lists a title with the fuller subtitle in the jams section, making it especially important to read the disc and section details rather than treating every appearance of the name as the same performance.
The official collection announcement and tracklist identifies the Yoko live-session programme as Blu-ray material. A later archive release is not evidence that this re-recording was issued as a new single in October 1970.
Nor should a modern archive presentation automatically be described as an unchanged transfer of the exact historical mix prepared on the 26th. Recording identity, mixing date and later release presentation are separate questions.
A simple chronology of the versions
- 3 October 1969: original studio recording.
- October 1969: release as the B-side of “Cold Turkey”.
- 25 October 1970: re-recording with Lennon and Ono vocals.
- 26 October 1970: stereo mixing of the newer recording.
- 2021: the newer recording enters the expanded Plastic Ono Band archive-release context.
This is a recording-and-release chronology, not a complete list of every live performance of the song. Live versions belong to their own occasions and should not be used to fill gaps in the studio account.
Location map: EMI Studios, Abbey Road
The mixing session took place in Studio Three at EMI Studios on Abbey Road, London. The map identifies the studio site, not a concert venue or a reconstruction of its 1970 control-room equipment.
Frequently asked questions
What happened on 26 October 1970?
A stereo mix of the newer Don’t Worry Kyoko recording was prepared at EMI Studios.
Was this the original Cold Turkey B-side recording?
No. The session concerned the re-recording made on 25 October 1970, not the original 1969 studio version.
Who produced the mixing session?
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were credited as producers.
Who engineered it?
Phil McDonald and Andy Stephens, at Studio Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road.
Who was the song written for?
Yoko Ono wrote it for her daughter Kyoko.
Where does the newer version appear in the archive history?
It is associated with the expanded 2021 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band collection, whose official tracklist includes Yoko live-session material on Blu-ray.
Continue exploring: Greenfield Morning session, 25 October 1970 · On This Day in Beatles History.
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