Wednesday 7 August 1968 | Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London
Producer: George Martin | Engineer: Ken Scott
Two sessions took place at Abbey Road on 7 August 1968. The first transferred the Hey Jude recordings from Trident Studios to Abbey Road for the first time. The second — a marathon overnight session running until 5.30am — saw The Beatles begin work on George Harrison’s ‘Not Guilty’, a song that would require more than 100 takes to complete and would not be released for nearly three decades.
Session One: Hey Jude Arrives at Abbey Road (3–7.45pm)
The first session, running from 3pm to 7.45pm, was devoted to tape copying. A single copy was made of the rough mono mix of ‘Hey Jude’ that had been produced the previous day. All previous work on the song had taken place at Trident Studios in Soho — making this the first time the Hey Jude recordings were transferred to Abbey Road, the studio where The Beatles had recorded the vast majority of their catalogue.
‘Hey Jude’ had been recorded at Trident because the studio had an eight-track recording desk — more advanced than the four-track equipment then available at Abbey Road. The song would go on to become one of The Beatles’ most celebrated recordings, spending nine weeks at number one in the United States and five weeks at the top of the UK charts.
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Session Two: Not Guilty, Takes 1–46 (8.45pm–5.30am)
The second session began at 8.45pm and ran through the night until 5.30am — a gruelling eight-and-three-quarter-hour session. The Beatles began recording ‘Not Guilty’, a new composition by George Harrison.
The context matters. By 7 August 1968, The Beatles had been recording the album that would become The Beatles (the White Album) for ten weeks. In that time, Harrison had managed to record only a single take of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ — a song that would eventually become one of the album’s most celebrated tracks. With the sessions dominated by Lennon and McCartney compositions, Harrison was eager to recapture lost ground, and ‘Not Guilty’ was his attempt to do so.
The line-up for the session was:
- George Harrison — electric guitar
- John Lennon — electric piano
- Paul McCartney — bass guitar
- Ringo Starr — drums
Takes 1 to 46 were recorded. The first 18 takes covered only the introduction. Of the remaining takes, only numbers 26, 30, 32, 36 and 41 were complete run-throughs of the song. The Beatles would continue work on ‘Not Guilty’ across three further sessions, eventually accumulating more than 100 takes in total.
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The Fate of ‘Not Guilty’
Despite the extraordinary effort invested — more than 100 takes across four sessions — ‘Not Guilty’ was not included on the White Album. It remained unreleased until 1996, when it finally appeared on Anthology 3, the third volume of The Beatles’ archival compilation series. The version released was take 102.
Harrison later recorded a solo version of ‘Not Guilty’ for his 1979 self-titled album George Harrison, giving the song its first official commercial release — eleven years after those marathon Abbey Road sessions.
The song’s lyrics, which touch on Harrison’s frustration at being blamed for The Beatles’ involvement with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Rishikesh trip, add a layer of biographical significance to its troubled recording history. That it required more than 100 takes and was still left off the album speaks to the tensions within the group during the White Album sessions — one of the most creatively productive and personally fractious periods in Beatles history.
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Key Facts
| Date | Wednesday 7 August 1968 |
| Studio | Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Engineer | Ken Scott |
| Session one | 3–7.45pm — tape copy of Hey Jude rough mono mix (first transfer to Abbey Road) |
| Session two | 8.45pm–5.30am — Not Guilty, takes 1–46 |
| Not Guilty takes on this date | 1–46 (takes 1–18 introduction only; complete takes: 26, 30, 32, 36, 41) |
| Total Not Guilty takes (all sessions) | More than 100 |
| Not Guilty released | 1996, Anthology 3 (take 102) |
| Line-up | Harrison (electric guitar), Lennon (electric piano), McCartney (bass), Starr (drums) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Not Guilty not on the White Album?
Despite more than 100 takes being recorded across four sessions in August 1968, Not Guilty was left off the White Album. The reasons were never fully explained, though the song’s omission reflected the tensions within the group during the sessions. It was finally released in 1996 on Anthology 3.
How many takes did it take to record Not Guilty?
More than 100 takes of Not Guilty were recorded across four sessions in August 1968. The first session on 7 August produced takes 1 to 46, with the first 18 covering only the introduction. The version released on Anthology 3 in 1996 was take 102.
Why was Hey Jude recorded at Trident Studios rather than Abbey Road?
Hey Jude was recorded at Trident Studios in Soho because Trident had an eight-track recording desk, which was more advanced than the four-track equipment available at Abbey Road at the time. The recordings were transferred to Abbey Road on 7 August 1968.
When was Not Guilty finally released?
Not Guilty was first officially released in 1996 on Anthology 3, the third volume of The Beatles’ archival compilation series. George Harrison had also recorded a solo version for his 1979 self-titled album.
What is Not Guilty about?
Not Guilty is widely understood to address George Harrison’s frustration at being blamed for The Beatles’ involvement with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Rishikesh trip to India in early 1968. The lyrics protest his innocence in relation to the controversy that followed the group’s return.
→ Recording: Doctor Robert – Revolver session, 17 April 1966, Abbey Road
→ George Harrison: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ August in Beatles History
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→ John Lennon: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ Paul McCartney: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
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