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by: Andy Roman (revolver@bright.net)
A Hard Day's Night (takes 1, 3, 4, 6-9)
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This complete take is available on ANTHOLOGY I.
It is the take that, among other slight differences, features Paul McCartney singing ". .Feeling you holding me tight, all through the night. . ." on the middle-eight.
This third attempt at the song that would eventually be the title-track of their forthcoming film is not unlike take one. It is complete, perhaps slightly slower than the released version.
As the boys bring the song into the middle-eight, Paul McCartney sounds as if he's singing either "In I'm home. . ." or "And I'm home. ." instead of the familiar "When I'm home. . ." Paul also sings ". .Feeling you holding me ti - i - i -ght. ." eliminating the line "All through the night."
George Harrison's solo, though not particularly intricate by any means, is played sloppily. To compound the shakiness of this take, John and Paul are singing two different lines coming out of the solo. The signature guitar passages at the song's conclusion are very tense and choppy. Paul laughs, "What's that?"
Beatles' rhythm guitarist John Lennon counts in this complete take, a slightly tighter version. The ending of the song dissolves into laughter, prompting George Harrison to comment, "You never know how many you're ending. ."
Paul McCartney, by this take, seems to be in a particularly jovial mood, singing "Oh, yeah. .Scooby-dooby-dooby. ." as the rest of the band prepares to set off into take six.
By the time the song reaches the end of the verse preceding the solo break, the take has broken down due to a bad chord played by George Harrison.
John: "I heard a funny chord." Pointing his finger, he
nails the guilty party, "It was him."
George Martin agrees:
"So did I."
Lennon: "Pardon?"
Martin:
"So did I."
Lucky number seven did not turn out to be the final take, but it is a slightly more spirited version than in previous takes, ever-so-slightly faster as well.
Paul's harmony at the end of the first stanza arrives just a tad late.
John and Paul have a slight lyric mixup, each singing something different on the line " 'Cause when I get home to you. . ." just before the solo break, and again during the final stanza.
Again, a little bit of laughter follows the final guitar passage at the end of the song, which is still not quite right. John: "I bust a string. . ."
Norman Smith announces the take number as some Beatle chatter fills Number Two.
"Shurrup. ." says John, adding, "I wish we had the words written out properly." John comes in with a quick count-in, but the take immediately comes to a halt after Paul is late with his opening bass note.
Just prior to this take, which turns out to be, for the most part, the commercially released version of the song, Paul is heard running through the bass sequence of the middle-eight. After the quick refresher, he says, "Go." John counts in. . .
September 12, 1963
August 14, 1963 
Behind The Scenes.
