rockyraccoon.co.uk

4 Sep 1962

Time: 7pm – 10pm
Studio Name and Room: EMI Recording Studios, London – Studio 2
Songs Recorded: How Do You Do It (takes unknown), Love Me Do (takes 1-15+) 1
Songs Mixed: How Do You Do It (RM from Take 2), Love Me Do (RM from unknown take) 2 3
Studio Personnel: Producer – George Martin, Balance Engineer – Norman Smith, Tape Operator – Unknown
Musicians (instruments played): John Lennon (guitar, harmonica, vocals, handclaps), Paul McCartney (bass, vocals, handclaps), George Harrison (guitar), Ringo Starr (drums)
Primary Tracking Machine: Mono – 1/4″ EMI BTR2
Mixdown Machine: Mono – 1/4″ EMI BTR2

Δ

[E47730] 4

Session

  • How Do You Do It
    • Unknown number of instrumental backing track takes (Take 2 was the “best”)
    • Unknown number of superimpositions (At least one to Take 2 consisting of vocals and handclaps) 5 6
  • Love Me Do
    • Unknown number of instrumental backing track takes (At least 15 takes)
    • Unknown number of superimpositions (At least one consisting of vocals and handclaps) 7

Δ

[E47776]

Mix

  • Love Me Do (mono)
    • Unnumbered remix (RM) from unnumbered take (2:21)
  • How Do You Do It (mono)
    • Unnumbered remix (RM) from Take 2 (1:55)

What Still Exists?

Tape Reel
Number

Exists?

Is on
Spotify?

Official
Physical Release?

Bootlegged?

How Do You Do It
(Takes besides 2)

[E47730]
Session Tape

❌

How Do You Do It
(Take 2)

[E47730]
Session Tape

🟡 Survived via
[E47776] Mix Tape

How Do You Do It
(Take 2) (RM)

[E47776]
Mix Tape

🟡 Survives via
master reel TL14063

How Do You Do It
(Take 2) (RM)

TL14063
Master Tape

✅ Yes

✅ Yes 8

✅ Yes

✅ Yes 9

Love Me Do (Ringo Version)
(Takes besides best)

[E47730]
Session Tape

❌

Love Me Do (Ringo Version)
(Best Take)

[E47730]
Session Tape

🟡 Survived via
[E47776] Mix Tape

Love Me Do (Ringo Version)
(Best Take) (RM)

[E47776]
Mix Tape

🟡 Survives via
7″ single (7XCE 17144)

✅ Yes 10

✅ Yes

References:

  1. The user slane on the Steve Hoffman Forums makes a very good point about there being an example of take numbers for the same song carrying over between sessions with Hold Me Tight. So it may be that Love Me Do didn’t require this many takes on 4 September. However it’s also possible that the 6 June session was written off entirely and numbering started again from Take 1 ↩︎
  2. Hammack, Jerry, 2017, TBRRM: Vol 1 (pp. 238-241) ↩︎
  3. Lewisohn, Mark, 1988, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (p. 18) ↩︎
  4. Winn, John C., 2005, Lifting Latches (p. 1) ↩︎
  5. Hammack, Jerry, 2017, TBRRM: Vol 1 (pp. 38-39) ↩︎
  6. Ryan, Kevin & Kehew, Brian, 2006, Recording the Beatles (p. 350) ↩︎
  7. Hammack, Jerry, 2017, TBRRM: Vol 1 (pp. 30-33) ↩︎
  8. The officially released version on Anthology 1 is a mix by Geoff Emerick. “In 1994 and 1995, when preparing the Anthology discs, Geoff Emerick chose
    to re-use nearly all of his 10-year-old mixes from the Sessions reel.”
    Winn, John C., 2005, Lifting Latches (p. 283)
    “Geoff Emerick, in one of his more pointless (and baffling) Sessions decisions, edited the ending of the song, replacing the first of the final “I’d do it to you” lines with a “but I haven’t a clue.””
    Sean Murdock, 2026, Steve Hoffman Forums ↩︎
  9. A very clean copy was first issued as a bootleg in 1976, presumably sourced from one of John Lennon’s acetates. Roger Scott has been the source of further high quality bootlegs since 1982. Winn, John C., 2005, Lifting Latches (pp. 257-285) ↩︎
  10. Since both the session tape and the mix tape of Love Me Do (Ringo Version) no longer exist and at some point the version on the master reel TL14063 was replaced with the Andy White version, all subsequent releases of the Ringo version have been sourced from vinyl ↩︎