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Fact #89969

When:

Short story:

Recording sessions begin for The Beatles' next album, Rubber Soul, with Run For Your Life and Norwegian Wood being started at EMI Studio 2, Abbey Road, London, England, UK, Europe.

Full article:

John Lennon : We were just getting better, technically and musically, that's all. Finally we took over the studio. In the early days we had to take what we were given, we didn't know how you can get more bass. We were learning the technique on Rubber Soul. We were more precise about making the album, that's all, and we took over the cover and everything. That was Paul's title, it was like Yer Blues, I suppose, meaning English soul.

Norman Smith (engineer) : Paul was the main musical force. He was also that in terms of production as well. A lot of the time George Martin didn't really have to do the things he did, because Paul McCartney was around and could have done them equally well.

John Lennon : I was trying (on Norwegian Wood) to write about an affair without letting me wife know I was writing about an affair. I was sort of writing from my experiences, girls' flats, things like that. I wrote it at Kenwood.

Al Kooper (keyboardist/songwriter) : I thought it was very ballsy of Dylan to do 4th Time Around. I asked him about it. I said, 'It sounds so much like Norwegian Wood,' and he said, 'Well, actually Norwegian Wood sounds a lot like this! I'm afraid they took it from me and I feel that I have to, you know, record it.' Evidently he'd played it for them and they'd nicked it. I said, 'Aren't you worried about getting sued by The Beatles?' and he said, 'They couldn't sue me.'

John Lennon : We went through many different sort of versions of the song, it was never right and I was getting very angry about it. They said, 'Well just do it how you want to do it.' And I said, 'Well, I just want to do it like this.' They let me go and I did the guitar very loudly into the mike and sang it at the same timeā€¦

George Harrison (guitarist, The Beatles] : When we were working on Norwegian Wood, it just needed something. It was quite spontaneous from what I remember.

John Lennon : George had the sitar and I asked him could he play the piece that I'd written, you know, dee diddley dee diddley dee, that bit, and he was not sure whether he could, because he hadn't done much on the sitar but he was willing to have a go, as is his wont, and he learned the bit and dubbed it on after.

George Harrison : I just picked up the sitar and kind of found the notes and I just kind of played it. We miked it up and put it on and it just seemed to hit the spot.

Norman Smith : The clash between John and Paul was becoming obvious. Also George was having to put up with a lot from Paul. We now had the luxury of four-track recording, so George would put his solo on afterwards. But as far as Paul was concerned, George could do no right.

Alf Bicknell (chauffeur) : I would drive them to the studio every day and then I'd organise for food to be sent in from a restaurant. Paul loved avocado vinaigrette, but you had to avoid anything with onions because Ringo didn't like them.

John Lennon : I never liked Run For Your Life because it was just a song I knocked off.
(Source : not known)