Recording: It's All Too Much – 25 May 1967
Thursday 25 May 1967 | Studio, Yellow Submarine
De Lane Lea Recording Studios, 129 Kingsway, London
Engineer: Dave Siddle | Tape operator: Mike Weighell
On 25 May 1967, The Beatles recorded the backing track for 'It's All Too Much' — George Harrison's psychedelic contribution to the Yellow Submarine film soundtrack — at the independent De Lane Lea Recording Studios in Kingsway, London. The session ran from 7pm to 2.30am and produced four takes of the backing track, at which point the song was still known simply as 'Too Much'.
Away from Abbey Road
The session at De Lane Lea was part of a pattern of The Beatles working outside their usual home at EMI Studios, Abbey Road during the Sgt. Pepper era and its immediate aftermath. The group had used Regent Sound and other independent facilities at various points, and De Lane Lea — a well-regarded commercial studio in central London — was a natural choice when Abbey Road was unavailable or when the group wanted a change of environment.
Crucially, neither George Martin nor regular balance engineer Geoff Emerick were available for this session. In their absence, the studio's in-house engineer Dave Siddle and tape operator Mike Weighell handled the technical side. It was an unusual arrangement — Martin and Emerick had been central to virtually every significant Beatles recording since 1962 — but the session proceeded regardless, a sign of the group's growing confidence and independence in the studio.
It is worth noting the date: 25 May 1967 was just two days before the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on 1 June 1967. The Beatles were simultaneously completing one of the most celebrated albums in history and already moving on to new material.
The Backing Track
Following considerable rehearsals, the backing track for 'It's All Too Much' was captured in four takes. The instrumentation at this stage comprised:
- Organ
- Bass guitar
- Distorted lead guitar
- Drums
The distorted lead guitar was central to the song's character — Harrison had been experimenting with feedback and sustained, overdriven tones, influenced in part by his engagement with Indian music and the drone-based textures of psychedelia. The organ gave the track a churchy, expansive quality that suited the song's lysergic, celebratory mood. The basic track laid down on this night would be built upon at two further De Lane Lea sessions on 31 May and 2 June 1967.
'It's All Too Much'
George Harrison wrote 'It's All Too Much' as an expression of the overwhelming joy and dissolution of ego he associated with psychedelic experience — specifically LSD. The lyrics are uncharacteristically exuberant for Harrison, whose songwriting more typically tended toward introspection and spiritual searching. The song is a celebration: of love, of sensory overload, of the feeling that existence itself is more than the mind can contain.
Musically, it is one of the most expansive things The Beatles recorded — in its final form, running to over six minutes, built on a churning, hypnotic groove with layers of brass, strings of feedback, and Harrison's vocal riding above it all. It draws on the drone aesthetics of Indian classical music that Harrison had been absorbing since 1965, and on the raw energy of early rock and roll — the song quotes directly from 'Sorrow' by The Merseys and contains an interpolation of 'Baby You're a Rich Man'.
The Yellow Submarine Soundtrack
'It's All Too Much' was recorded specifically for the Yellow Submarine animated film, which was released in July 1968. The film was based loosely on The Beatles' public persona and the world of their music, but the group themselves had limited involvement in its production — they contributed songs and made a brief live-action appearance at the end, but the animation and script were handled by others.
The Yellow Submarine soundtrack album, released in January 1969, featured four new Beatles songs — 'Only a Northern Song', 'All Together Now', 'Hey Bulldog', and 'It's All Too Much' — alongside George Martin's orchestral score. For Harrison, 'It's All Too Much' was one of his most significant contributions to the group's catalogue of this period, alongside 'Within You Without You' on Sgt. Pepper and 'Blue Jay Way' on the Magical Mystery Tour EP.
George Harrison in 1967
By May 1967, Harrison was in the middle of the most creatively fertile and personally transformative period of his life. His immersion in Indian classical music — studying sitar under Ravi Shankar since 1966 — had fundamentally altered his approach to composition and his understanding of music's spiritual dimensions. He had visited India in September 1966 and would return repeatedly. His interest in Hinduism and Vedic philosophy, which would define the rest of his life, was already deep and sincere by this point.
'It's All Too Much' sits at the intersection of those influences: the psychedelic moment, the Indian drone, the rock and roll energy, and a genuine spiritual openness. It is, in many ways, the most purely joyful thing Harrison ever recorded.
Key Facts: 25 May 1967
- Song: 'It's All Too Much' (working title: 'Too Much')
- Composer: George Harrison
- Studio: De Lane Lea Recording Studios, 129 Kingsway, London
- Session times: 7pm–2.30am
- Engineer: Dave Siddle
- Tape operator: Mike Weighell
- Takes recorded: 4 (backing track)
- Instrumentation: Organ, bass guitar, distorted lead guitar, drums
- George Martin present: No
- Geoff Emerick present: No
- Further sessions: De Lane Lea, 31 May and 2 June 1967
- Released on: Yellow Submarine soundtrack (January 1969)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 'It's All Too Much'?
A song written by George Harrison for the Yellow Submarine animated film soundtrack, recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London in May–June 1967. It was released on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album in January 1969.
Why did The Beatles record at De Lane Lea rather than Abbey Road?
EMI Studios were unavailable for this session. De Lane Lea was an independent commercial studio in central London. Neither George Martin nor Geoff Emerick were available, so the studio's in-house engineer Dave Siddle handled the session.
What was the working title of 'It's All Too Much'?
At the time of the 25 May 1967 session, the song was known simply as 'Too Much'. It was renamed before release.
What songs did The Beatles contribute to the Yellow Submarine film?
Four new songs: 'Only a Northern Song', 'All Together Now', 'Hey Bulldog', and 'It's All Too Much'. The soundtrack album also included George Martin's orchestral score and previously released Beatles tracks.
What was George Harrison's musical focus in 1967?
Harrison was deeply immersed in Indian classical music, studying sitar under Ravi Shankar and exploring Vedic philosophy and Hinduism. These influences are audible throughout 'It's All Too Much', particularly in its drone-based textures and extended, hypnotic structure.
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