Monday 26 October 1964 | Recording and mixing | Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London
26 October 1964 was the final recording date for Beatles for Sale. Four separately scheduled sessions combined morning mixing with afternoon and evening recording, before the Beatles turned to a Christmas message for their fan club.
With George Martin producing the album work and Norman Smith engineering, the day moved from six mono mixes to a stereo mix of “Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!”, then new recordings of “Honey Don’t” and “What You’re Doing”. The final task was recording and editing Another Beatles Christmas Record.
These were different kinds of work. A song mixed that morning was not necessarily recorded that day, and the Christmas disc was a separate fan-club release rather than another track on the album.
The four sessions at a glance
| Time | Location | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 10am–12.45pm | Studio Two control room | Mono mixing of six Beatles for Sale songs |
| 12.45–1.05pm | Studio Two control room | Stereo mix of Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! |
| 4.30–6.30pm | Studio Two | Honey Don’t, takes 1–5 and overdub work |
| 7.30–10pm | Studio Two | What You’re Doing remake, takes 13–19 and overdubs; Another Beatles Christmas Record recording and editing |
The gaps between these bookings should not be filled with invented studio activity. The schedule describes four blocks, not one uninterrupted twelve-hour recording session.
Morning: six mono mixes
The first booking, from 10am to 12.45pm, took place in Studio Two’s control room. The songs mixed were:
- I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party
- Rock and Roll Music
- Words of Love
- Baby’s in Black
- I’m a Loser
- Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!
The session listing identifies mono remix 1 for “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party”, “Rock and Roll Music”, “Words of Love” and “Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!”, and mono remix 2 for “Baby’s in Black” and “I’m a Loser”.
Those remix numbers describe work on existing recordings. They are not new performance take numbers and do not mean the Beatles re-recorded all six songs that morning.
A twenty-minute stereo session for Kansas City
The second booking followed immediately, from 12.45 to 1.05pm. George Martin created a stereo mix of “Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!” in the same control room, with the Beatles watching.
The session log identifies stereo remix 1 from take 1. This narrow piece of work should not be expanded into a claim that the whole album was mixed in stereo in twenty minutes.
It also explains why mono and stereo deserve separate entries in the day’s chronology. They were distinct mixing tasks, even when they used the same underlying performance.
The supplied Beatles for Sale record label
The label provides release context, not a photograph of the recording session. Its “STEREO” marking is especially worth noting in an account that begins with mono mixing.
Side two lists “Eight Days a Week”, “Words of Love”, “Honey Don’t”, “Every Little Thing”, “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party”, “What You’re Doing” and “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”. Some of these songs were worked on that day; their appearance together on the label does not mean all seven were recorded or mixed on 26 October.
Afternoon: Ringo sings Honey Don’t
At 4.30pm, the work moved from mixing to new recording. During the two-hour booking the Beatles recorded five takes of “Honey Don’t”, with Ringo Starr on lead vocals.
John Lennon had previously sung the song live and on radio. The album performance instead gave Ringo his vocal spot on Beatles for Sale, an important distinction when comparing different Beatles versions of the song.
The session log also records tambourine overdubbing onto take 5. The day’s work should therefore not be reduced to five untouched live run-throughs: the numbered takes and subsequent additions are separate parts of the recording process.
Evening: remaking What You’re Doing
The final booking ran from 7.30 to 10pm. The Beatles returned to “What You’re Doing”, which had already been attempted on 29 and 30 September.
This time they recorded seven further takes, numbered 13–19. The numbering continued the song’s recording history; it did not mean that nineteen new takes were recorded during this evening session.
The session listing records vocal, piano and guitar overdubs onto take 19. This was the remake that completed the song’s recording work for the album.
The official What You’re Doing song page also lists the September dates and 26 October, preserving the distinction between the earlier attempts and the final remake.
Another Beatles Christmas Record
The last task was the recording and editing of Another Beatles Christmas Record. Five takes were recorded, and the material was edited for the fan-club disc.
Although made during the same evening booking, this was not a Beatles for Sale album track. The edited recording went to Lyntone for manufacture as a flexi-disc distributed in December 1964 to members of the Beatles’ UK fan club.
The October recording date, subsequent manufacture and December distribution are separate stages. The album label shown above belongs to the commercial LP, not the Christmas flexi-disc.
Final recording day does not mean release day
Beatles for Sale was released in Britain on 4 December 1964, as listed in the official Beatles album chronology. The 26 October date marks the final album recording work, not the day the record reached shops.
It should also not be treated as proof that all subsequent mixing, preparation or manufacture was finished that evening. Recording completion and a finished commercial release are different milestones.
Location map: EMI Studios, Abbey Road
The work took place in Studio Two and its control room at EMI Studios on Abbey Road, London. This map locates the studio site rather than reconstructing its 1964 equipment or room layout.
Frequently asked questions
What happened at EMI on 26 October 1964?
Four sessions combined Beatles for Sale mixing, the recording of Honey Don’t and What You’re Doing, and work on Another Beatles Christmas Record.
Which songs received mono mixes?
I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party, Rock and Roll Music, Words of Love, Baby’s in Black, I’m a Loser and Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!.
Who sang Honey Don’t for the album?
Ringo Starr. Five takes were recorded during the afternoon session.
How many new takes of What You’re Doing were recorded?
Seven, numbered 13–19, continuing from earlier attempts in September.
Was Another Beatles Christmas Record part of Beatles for Sale?
No. It was a separate fan-club recording, edited for a flexi-disc distributed in December 1964.
Was this the final recording date for the album?
Yes. It was the final album recording date, distinct from later preparation and the UK release on 4 December 1964.
Continue exploring On This Day in Beatles History, or browse the Beatles for Sale T-shirt and album-cover wall sign.
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