Tuesday 2 November 1971 | Mixing and editing | Record Plant, New York City | By Beatles Fabdom
On 2 November 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono revisited two live Plastic Ono Band recordings at New York’s Record Plant: “Cold Turkey” and “Don’t Worry Kyoko”. The performances had been recorded at a UNICEF benefit at London’s Lyceum Ballroom on 15 December 1969.
New stereo mixes of “Cold Turkey” came first, followed by further mixing and editing of “Don’t Worry Kyoko”. The material would be released on the Live Jam disc accompanying the 1972 album Some Time In New York City.
| Date | Tuesday 2 November 1971 |
|---|---|
| Studio | Record Plant, New York City |
| Historic address | 321 West 44th Street, Manhattan, New York |
| Producers | John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Phil Spector |
| Engineers | Roy Cicala and Jack Douglas |
| Material | Cold Turkey; Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow) |
| Original concert | Lyceum Ballroom, London, 15 December 1969 |
| Subsequent release | Live Jam, issued with Some Time In New York City in 1972 |
From the Lyceum Ballroom to Record Plant
The recordings originated at the Peace and Love for Christmas benefit for UNICEF. Lennon and Ono appeared with an expanded ensemble that included George Harrison, Eric Clapton and musicians associated with Delaney and Bonnie.
Lennon later referred to the line-up as the Plastic Ono Supergroup. Its performance centred on two songs rather than a conventional set of short numbers: Lennon’s “Cold Turkey” and Ono’s “Don’t Worry Kyoko”.
The pair had already been issued together as a single. Our article on the UK release of Cold Turkey on 24 October 1969 follows that earlier chapter. The recordings being worked on in November 1971 were the live Lyceum performances, not the original studio single masters.
The Plastic Ono Supergroup musicians
The Lyceum ensemble brought together guitars, two drummers, organ, bass and a horn section, with Ono’s vocals at the centre of “Don’t Worry Kyoko”.
| Musician | Role |
|---|---|
| John Lennon | Guitar and vocals |
| Yoko Ono | Vocals |
| George Harrison | Guitar |
| Eric Clapton | Guitar |
| Delaney Bramlett | Guitar |
| Bonnie Bramlett | Tambourine |
| Alan White | Drums |
| Jim Gordon | Drums |
| Billy Preston | Organ |
| Klaus Voormann | Bass guitar |
| Bobby Keys | Saxophone |
| Jim Price | Trumpet |
Clapton played Harrison’s psychedelic Fender Stratocaster, known as Rocky. Harrison himself was also onstage, making the performance a live collaboration between Lennon and his Beatles bandmate as well as the wider group of guest musicians.
Setlist
- Cold Turkey
- Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)
Lennon introduced “Cold Turkey” with the words, “This song’s about pain.” “Don’t Worry Kyoko” developed into an extended performance built around repeating riffs, instrumental improvisation and Ono’s vocals.
The two-song set therefore generated considerably more tape than a pair of single-length performances. “Don’t Worry Kyoko” ran for around 40 minutes at the concert, requiring a much shorter presentation for its eventual LP release.
Recording the concert on four-track tape
The Lyceum performance was recorded on four-track tape by Geoff Emerick, with Peter Bown and John Kurlander engineering. During the lengthy “Don’t Worry Kyoko”, Emerick had to change tape reels.
An initial mixing session followed two days after the concert, on 17 December 1969. The material was revisited again on 31 October 1971, before the further work at Record Plant on 2 November.
The long gap between performance and release is important to the chronology. Although the recordings appeared with a 1972 album, the musicians’ original live performances dated from December 1969.
John Lennon merchandise: People for Peace
For readers interested in Lennon’s public peace campaigning and live work, the People for Peace black T-shirt features a monochrome image of Lennon performing at a piano.
The preceding work on 31 October 1971
Before the 2 November session, the original multitrack recordings had been transferred to 16-track tape at Record Plant on 31 October. That earlier session also involved overdubs.
Lennon added lead vocals to “Cold Turkey”, while Klaus Voormann supplied additional bass and Nicky Hopkins added electric piano. Voormann also recorded a new bass part for “Don’t Worry Kyoko”. Mono and stereo mixes were then made.
These additions belong to the 31 October session. They should not be confused with the new mixing and editing carried out on 2 November, or with the musicians’ original performances at the Lyceum.
What happened on 2 November 1971?
Lennon and Ono returned to the recordings at Record Plant, with production credited to Lennon, Ono and Phil Spector, and engineering to Roy Cicala and Jack Douglas.
The first task was to make new stereo mixes of “Cold Turkey”. Attention then turned to “Don’t Worry Kyoko”, which received further mixes and editing.
This was work on existing concert recordings rather than a new performance of the songs. It followed the October transfers and overdubs, continuing the preparation of the material later issued as part of Live Jam.
Editing Don’t Worry Kyoko for release
The original “Don’t Worry Kyoko” performance extended to around 40 minutes. The released album version reduced that to approximately sixteen minutes.
The session account identifies at least three edits in the issued version. The released track retained the combination of Ono’s vocals, repeating guitar figures and the ensemble’s horn and rhythm parts, but not the concert performance’s full duration.
John Lennon’s official album listing gives the Live Jam running times as 8:35 for “Cold Turkey” and 16:06 for “Don’t Worry Kyoko”. These are the listed album timings, rather than measurements of the complete original concert performances.
John and Yoko together
The session was a joint Lennon and Ono project, with a song by each of them providing the Lyceum material. The John & Yoko postcard offers a related collectible featuring the pair together.
Release on Some Time In New York City
The Lyceum performances occupied the first side of the original Live Jam LP supplied with Some Time In New York City. The other side contained material recorded with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at the Fillmore East on 6 June 1971.
Those are separate concerts: the Lyceum material was recorded in London in 1969, while the Fillmore East performances were recorded in New York in 1971.
The album was released in the United States on 12 June 1972 and in the United Kingdom on 15 September 1972. The Lyceum recordings therefore reached listeners more than two years after the original UNICEF benefit.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 15 December 1969 | Cold Turkey and Don’t Worry Kyoko performed at the Lyceum UNICEF benefit |
| 17 December 1969 | Initial mixing of the live recordings |
| 31 October 1971 | Transfer to 16-track tape, overdubs and new mixes at Record Plant |
| 2 November 1971 | Further stereo mixing and editing |
| 12 June 1972 | US release of Some Time In New York City with Live Jam |
| 15 September 1972 | UK release |
Record Plant location map: New York’s historic studio
The 2 November mixing session took place at Record Plant, 321 West 44th Street, Manhattan, New York. This was the New York studio, not one of the Record Plant facilities in California.
The map marks the historic studio address. The former New York Record Plant no longer operates there as a recording studio.
Open the historic Record Plant address in Google Maps.
Frequently asked questions
What did John Lennon and Yoko Ono work on on 2 November 1971?
They made new stereo mixes of the live Cold Turkey recording, followed by further mixing and editing of Don’t Worry Kyoko.
When were the original performances recorded?
Both were recorded at the Lyceum Ballroom in London on 15 December 1969 during a UNICEF benefit concert.
Who engineered the 2 November session?
Roy Cicala and Jack Douglas were the engineers. Production was credited to John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Phil Spector.
Did George Harrison and Eric Clapton play at the Lyceum?
Yes. Both played guitar in the expanded Plastic Ono Band ensemble, alongside Lennon and Delaney Bramlett.
How long is the released Don’t Worry Kyoko?
John Lennon’s official album listing gives a running time of 16:06. The original concert performance ran for around 40 minutes.
Where were these recordings released?
They appeared on the Live Jam disc accompanying Some Time In New York City in 1972.
Explore the official Some Time In New York City album listing for the Live Jam track sequence and release information.
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