On February 28, 1967, The Beatles were hunkered down in Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios working on a new track called Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds. Premiering over at NPR, we’ve just been gifted with the band’s first attempt at recording it.
Hear The Beatles’ first take performing Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds completely stripped back, unearthed from deep in the vaults of Abbey Road.
As one might imagine for a piece of music so ahead of its time, quite a lot of takes went into creating Lucy In The Sky. But The Beatles, basically having free reign over their studio time at Abbey Road, we able to chip away at the song as they pleased.
“Take one” is completely stripped back. John’s voice is left relatively unaltered, bar some echo in the bridge, and the chorus is missing the all important “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” hook. Harrison’s Leslie-swirled lead guitar is nowhere to be seen. Nor is the subtle sheen of his tanpura playing.
But, from the moment the kaleidoscopic Lowrey organ in the song’s opening moments is struck, it’s clear the band knew what they were trying to achieve from the start.
This special release is set to feature on the 50th anniversary edition of Sgt. Pepper, which will include a six-disc super deluxe box set packed with a whopping 33 rare, unreleased outtakes from the Sgt. Pepper sessions, much like this one.
You can listen to “Take 9” of the album’s opener too!
Following the release of the 50th anniversary edition, a new documentary is coming out focusing on the 12 months surrounding the recording of Sgt. Pepper.
Directed by Alan G. Parker, the film will feature rare archival footage along with a range of interviews with subjects including original drummer Pete Best, John Lennon’s sister Julia and Hunter Davies. Watch the trailer below:
[via NPR]
