Recording & Mixing Taxman and For No One ā 16 May 1966
Monday 16 May 1966 | Revolver, Studio
Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin | Engineer: Geoff Emerick
On 16 May 1966, The Beatles gathered at Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road for an afternoon-to-overnight session that ran from 2.30pm to 1.30am. Although only around half of Revolver had been recorded by this point, the session was devoted to mixing and tape reduction work ā the careful, technical labour that would shape the album's final sound. Two songs dominated the day: George Harrison's 'Taxman' and Paul McCartney's 'For No One'.
The State of Revolver in May 1966
Revolver had been in production since 6 April 1966, when 'Tomorrow Never Knows' ā the album's most radical track ā had been the first to be recorded. By mid-May, the sessions had produced a remarkable body of work: 'Tomorrow Never Knows', 'Got to Get You into My Life', 'Love You To', 'Paperback Writer', 'Rain', 'Doctor Robert', 'And Your Bird Can Sing', 'Taxman', and 'For No One' were all at various stages of completion.
The pace was extraordinary. George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick ā who had taken over from Norman Smith at the start of the Revolver sessions ā were working with The Beatles at the peak of their studio ambition, pushing the four-track technology of EMI's Studio Two to its absolute limits. Tape reduction, varispeed recording, and close-miking techniques that had never been used at Abbey Road before were becoming standard tools in the sessions.
Love You To: Mono Masters
The session opened with administrative work on George Harrison's 'Love You To' ā still carrying its working title 'Granny Smith' at this stage. Two copies of the current best mono master were made, preserving the track's state for the ongoing assembly of the album master reel.
'Love You To' was Harrison's most ambitious composition to date: a full Indian classical arrangement featuring sitar, tabla, and tambura, with no Western instruments. It had been recorded on 11 April 1966 with Indian session musicians, and Harrison's own overdubbed vocals and sitar added on 13 April. The working title 'Granny Smith' ā a reference to the apple variety that would later give Apple Corps its name ā was one of several placeholder titles used during the Revolver sessions.
Taxman: Four Mono Mixes
Four mono mixes of 'Taxman' were created during the session, all taken from take 12. None of them were ever used on the finished album ā they were working mixes, made to assess the track's progress and to add to the master reel at the end of the session.
'Taxman' had been recorded across several sessions in April and early May 1966. Harrison's song ā a sharp, sardonic attack on the British government's 95% supertax rate, which affected The Beatles directly ā had gone through multiple takes before arriving at the version that would open Revolver. Paul McCartney's bass line, one of the most distinctive on the album, and his guitar solo (played on Harrison's guitar) were already in place by this point.
The track's opening ā with its count-in, studio chatter, and the deliberate impression of catching the tape mid-session ā was a conscious artistic choice, setting the tone for an album that would constantly draw attention to its own construction.
For No One: Paul McCartney's Vocal Overdub
The most significant work of the session was Paul McCartney's lead vocal overdub on 'For No One'. The technique used was varispeed recording: the tape was slowed to 47.5 cycles per second rather than the standard 50, which meant that when played back at normal speed, McCartney's voice sounded higher and faster than it had been recorded.
Varispeed was one of the key tools of the Revolver sessions. By recording at a different speed from playback, The Beatles and George Martin could alter the pitch and timbre of vocals and instruments without electronic processing ā a technique that gave many of the album's tracks their distinctive, slightly heightened quality.
'For No One' was one of McCartney's most emotionally precise compositions: a song about the end of a relationship told entirely from the outside, in the second person, with no resolution and no comfort. The arrangement ā harpsichord, bass, drums, and the French horn that would be overdubbed later ā was spare and classical in its restraint.
Tape Reductions: For No One Takes 13 and 14
Following the vocal overdub, tape reductions of 'For No One' were made to free up space on the four-track tape. These were numbered takes 13 and 14. The second of these ā take 14 ā was the one later used for the French horn overdub that would become one of the most celebrated moments on Revolver.
Tape reduction ā also called bouncing down ā was a standard technique for working around the limitations of four-track recording. By mixing several tracks down to one or two, space was freed up for additional overdubs. The process involved some loss of quality with each generation, but Martin and Emerick had developed techniques to minimise the degradation.
The French horn part on 'For No One' was played by Alan Civil, principal horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and recorded on 19 May 1966. McCartney asked Civil to play a note above the accepted range of the instrument ā Civil obliged, and the resulting solo became one of the most discussed passages on the album.
End of Session: Master Reel Assembly
The session closed with the addition of mono mixes of 'Taxman', 'Love You To', and 'Tomorrow Never Knows' to the master reel ā the running assembly of completed or near-completed tracks that would eventually become Revolver. The session ended at 1.30am, eleven hours after it had begun.
The assembly of the master reel at this stage of the sessions reflects how far advanced Revolver already was by mid-May 1966. The album would be completed by 21 June 1966 and released on 5 August ā a remarkably compressed timeline for a record of such ambition and complexity.
Key Facts: 16 May 1966
- Date: Monday 16 May 1966
- Location: Studio Two, EMI Studios, 3 Abbey Road, London NW8
- Session times: 2.30pm ā 1.30am
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineer: Geoff Emerick
- Work on Love You To: Two mono master copies made (working title: 'Granny Smith')
- Work on Taxman: Four mono mixes from take 12 (none used on final album)
- Work on For No One: Lead vocal overdub by McCartney (tape at 47.5 cycles); tape reductions to takes 13 and 14
- Take 14 significance: Later used for Alan Civil's French horn overdub (19 May 1966)
- End of session: Mono mixes of Taxman, Love You To, and Tomorrow Never Knows added to master reel
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at Abbey Road on 16 May 1966?
The Beatles held a mixing and overdub session for Revolver at Studio Two, EMI Studios. Work included mono mixes of 'Love You To' and 'Taxman', Paul McCartney's lead vocal overdub on 'For No One' (recorded at 47.5 cycles per second), tape reductions of 'For No One', and the assembly of mono mixes onto the master reel.
Why was the tape slowed for Paul McCartney's vocal on For No One?
Recording at 47.5 cycles per second rather than the standard 50 meant that on playback at normal speed, McCartney's voice sounded higher and faster. This varispeed technique was used extensively during the Revolver sessions to alter pitch and timbre without electronic processing.
What is tape reduction and why was it used?
Tape reduction (or bouncing down) involved mixing several tracks onto one or two to free up space on the four-track tape for additional overdubs. It was a standard workaround for the limitations of four-track recording technology in 1966.
What was the working title of Love You To?
'Love You To' was known as 'Granny Smith' during the Revolver sessions ā one of several placeholder titles used before the album's final track listing was confirmed.
Who played the French horn on For No One?
Alan Civil, principal horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra, recorded the French horn solo on 'For No One' on 19 May 1966, using take 14 of the tape reduction made during the 16 May session.
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