Tuesday 29 July 1969 | Studio Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London
Producer: George Martin
Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald
Session: 2.30pm – 10.45pm
On 29 July 1969, The Beatles spent an afternoon and evening session in Studio Three at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, adding overdubs to three tracks destined for the Abbey Road album: ‘Come Together’, ‘Sun King’, and ‘Mean Mr Mustard’.
- A guitar overdub was added to the solo section of ‘Come Together’
- Vocals, piano, organ and percussion were overdubbed onto ‘Sun King’/‘Mean Mr Mustard’
By the end of the session, recording was complete for both ‘Sun King’ and ‘Mean Mr Mustard’. ‘Come Together’ required further work, with additional overdubs added the following day.
Come Together
‘Come Together’ was written by John Lennon, originally at the request of Timothy Leary, who was planning a campaign for Governor of California against Ronald Reagan and wanted a campaign song. Leary’s campaign collapsed before the song was finished, and Lennon repurposed it for the Abbey Road album. The finished track — with its swampy, bass-driven groove, Lennon’s half-spoken vocal, and the famous opening “Shoot me” — became one of the most distinctive recordings in the Beatles’ catalogue.
The guitar overdub added on 29 July was part of the process of building up the track’s layered texture. The solo section of ‘Come Together’ features a guitar line that cuts through the otherwise bass-heavy arrangement, and the overdub session on this date was a key step in achieving the finished sound.
The song opens the Abbey Road album and was released as a double A-side single with ‘Something’ on 31 October 1969. It reached number one in the US.
Sun King
‘Sun King’ was written by John Lennon, inspired partly by the Fleetwood Mac instrumental ‘Albatross’ and partly by a dream. It opens with a languid, shimmering guitar figure before Lennon’s vocal enters, and closes with a passage of mock-Italian/Spanish/Portuguese gibberish — a playful multilingual nonsense section that Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison sang together. On the Abbey Road album, ‘Sun King’ segues directly into ‘Mean Mr Mustard’ as part of the medley that occupies the second side.
The overdubs added on 29 July — vocals, piano, organ, and percussion — completed the track. The session log confirms that ‘Sun King’ required no further work after this date.
Mean Mr Mustard
‘Mean Mr Mustard’ was written by John Lennon, based on a newspaper story about a miserly man who hid money in unusual places. Lennon had written it in India in early 1968 during the Maharishi retreat, along with a number of other songs that would appear on The Beatles (the White Album) and Abbey Road. On the album, it follows ‘Sun King’ seamlessly, maintaining the medley’s momentum with a faster, more abrasive character.
Like ‘Sun King’, ‘Mean Mr Mustard’ was completed by the end of the 29 July session. The overdubs — vocals, piano, organ, and percussion — were shared across both tracks in the same session, reflecting their close relationship on the album.
The Abbey Road Medley
Both ‘Sun King’ and ‘Mean Mr Mustard’ are part of the celebrated Abbey Road medley — the sequence of linked songs that occupies most of the second side of the album. The medley was primarily Paul McCartney’s concept, drawing on song fragments that the band had accumulated but not fully developed. It runs from ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ through ‘Sun King’, ‘Mean Mr Mustard’, ‘Polythene Pam’, ‘She Came In Through the Bathroom Window’, ‘Golden Slumbers’, ‘Carry That Weight’, and ‘The End’ — a sustained piece of musical architecture that remains one of the most ambitious things The Beatles ever recorded.
The Production Team
George Martin produced the session, as he did throughout the Abbey Road recordings. Geoff Emerick — who had engineered Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s before leaving Apple in 1968 — had returned to work on Abbey Road, bringing with him the close-miking techniques and sonic innovations that had defined the band’s mid-period sound. Phil McDonald served as second engineer.
Key Facts: 29 July 1969
| Date | Tuesday 29 July 1969 |
| Studio | Studio Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London |
| Session hours | 2.30pm – 10.45pm |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Engineers | Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald |
| Come Together | Guitar overdub on solo section; further work on 30 July |
| Sun King | Vocals, piano, organ, percussion overdubbed; recording complete |
| Mean Mr Mustard | Vocals, piano, organ, percussion overdubbed; recording complete |
Abbey Road Studios, St John’s Wood, London — where The Beatles recorded overdubs for Come Together, Sun King, and Mean Mr Mustard on 29 July 1969.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was Come Together recorded?
Come Together was recorded across multiple sessions in July 1969 at Abbey Road. On 29 July 1969, a guitar overdub was added to the solo section. Further overdubs were added on 30 July. The song opens the Abbey Road album and was released as a double A-side single with Something on 31 October 1969.
Who wrote Come Together?
Come Together was written by John Lennon, originally at the request of Timothy Leary for a political campaign. When Leary’s campaign collapsed, Lennon repurposed the song for the Abbey Road album.
What is the Abbey Road medley?
The Abbey Road medley is a sequence of linked songs occupying most of the second side of the Abbey Road album, running from You Never Give Me Your Money through Sun King, Mean Mr Mustard, Polythene Pam, She Came In Through the Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, and The End. It was primarily Paul McCartney’s concept and is considered one of the most ambitious pieces of music The Beatles ever recorded.
Who wrote Sun King and Mean Mr Mustard?
Both Sun King and Mean Mr Mustard were written by John Lennon. Mean Mr Mustard was written in India in early 1968 during the Maharishi retreat. Sun King was inspired partly by the Fleetwood Mac instrumental Albatross. Both appear as part of the Abbey Road medley on the album’s second side.
Who engineered the Abbey Road album?
The Abbey Road sessions were engineered primarily by Geoff Emerick, who had previously engineered Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Phil McDonald. George Martin produced.
→ The Beatles: Ballad of John and Yoko – Abbey Road Recording Session, April 1969
→ 29 July in Beatles History
→ July in Beatles History
→ John Lennon: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ Paul McCartney: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ George Harrison: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ Ringo Starr: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub
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