Recording: Rock ’N’ Roll by John Lennon – 28 October 1974

October 27, 2026

John Lennon Rock ’N’ Roll album artwork reproduced on a sticker, showing Lennon in a brick doorway

Monday 28 October 1974 | John Lennon | Recording | By Beatles Fabdom

John Lennon continued work on Rock ’N’ Roll at the Record Plant in New York City on 28 October 1974. Lennon produced the session, the first overdub date for the horn section.

28 October 1974: session facts
Artist	John Lennon
Date	Monday 28 October 1974
Album	Rock ’N’ Roll
Studio	Record Plant, New York City
Producer	John Lennon
Work undertaken	First horn-section overdub session
Historical studio address	321 West 44th Street, Manhattan
Album release	February 1975

The first horn-overdub session

The 28 October date belonged to the final New York recording phase of Rock ’N’ Roll. Lennon had recorded new backing tracks at the Record Plant earlier that month, then continued with overdubs.

An overdub adds a performance to an existing recording. For this session, the work concerned the horn section rather than the initial rhythm tracks. The dated session account does not identify the individual songs receiving horn overdubs.

From Los Angeles to New York

Rock ’N’ Roll was an album of covers drawn from the rock and roll and rhythm and blues repertoire of the 1950s and early 1960s. Its recording took place in two main stages: the Los Angeles sessions with Phil Spector in late 1973, and the New York sessions produced by Lennon in October 1974.

Work on material from the earlier sessions had continued between those two main phases. Our article on You Can’t Catch Me on 11 July 1974 covers one of those intervening dates.

Lennon recorded and released Walls and Bridges before returning to finish the covers album. The October New York sessions brought the project back into sustained studio work.

The final October recording dates

The 28 October horn session was followed by further recording during the remaining days of the month:

Rock ’N’ Roll: the closing October sessions
Date	Work
28 October 1974	First horn-section overdub session
29 October 1974	Second horn-section overdub session
30 October 1974	Further overdubs
31 October 1974	Final recording overdubs for the album

Mixing and editing continued into November. Rock ’N’ Roll was released in February 1975.

Rock ’N’ Roll album merchandise

These two items reproduce the album artwork. They are modern merchandise, not photographs of the 28 October recording session.

John Lennon Rock ’N’ Roll printed patch with album artwork and a black stitched border — John Lennon Rock ’N’ Roll printed patch · £5.

John Lennon Rock ’N’ Roll album sticker showing Lennon in a brick doorway — John Lennon Rock ’N’ Roll album sticker · £3.

Record Plant, New York: studio location

Record Plant, 321 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036. This was the New York studio, also known as Record Plant East, rather than the Los Angeles Record Plant. The map marks its historical Manhattan site.

Frequently asked questions

What did John Lennon record on 28 October 1974?

He worked on the first horn-section overdub session for Rock ’N’ Roll.

Where did the session take place?

At the Record Plant in New York City, at 321 West 44th Street in Manhattan.

Who produced the session?

John Lennon produced the 28 October 1974 session.

What is a horn overdub?

It is a horn performance added to an existing recording, rather than recorded as part of its initial backing track.