Notes on

Recording projects

The Beatles consciously developed their compositions as recordings. To study the development of their style Tuomas Eerola ordered all 187 songs and 25 covers chronologically in twelve successive “recording projects.” Each project spans a time unit of about seven months. All links point to Alan W. Pollack’s renowned Notes on … series.

Tuomas Eerola; published as Appendix 2 of Heinonen & Eerola (1998), “Songwriting, recording, and style change”, Beatlestudies 1, University of Jyväskylä.

Early period

1

Please Please Me

4.9.1962 - 28.4.63

  1. Love Me Do
  2. P.S. I Love You
  3. Please Please Me
  4. Ask Me Why
  5. I Saw Her Standing There
  6. Misery
  7. Anna (Go To Him)
  8. Chains
  9. Boys
  10. Baby It’s You
  11. Do You Want To Know A Secret
  12. A Taste of Honey
  13. There’s A Place
  14. Twist and Shout
  15. From Me To You
  16. Thank You Girl

2

With The Beatles

1.5.1963 - 30.11.63

  1. She Loves You
  2. I’ll Get You
  3. You Really Got A Hold On Me
  4. Devil In Her Heart
  5. Money (That’s What I Want)
  6. Till There Was You
  7. It Won’t Be Long
  8. All My Loving
  9. Please Mister Postman
  10. Roll Over Beethoven
  11. All I’ve Got To Do
  12. Don’t Bother Me
  13. Little Child
  14. I Wanna Be Your Man
  15. Not A Second Time
  16. Hold Me Tight
  17. I Want To Hold Your Hand
  18. This Boy

3

A Hard Day’s Night

1.12.1963 - 30.6.64

  1. Can’t Buy Me Love
  2. I Should Have Known Better
  3. And I Love Her
  4. You Can’t Do That
  5. If I Fell
  6. Tell Me Why
  7. Long Tall Sally
  8. I Call Your Name
  9. I’m Happy Just To Dance With You
  10. A Hard Day’s Night
  11. Slow Down
  12. Matchbox
  13. I’ll Cry Instead
  14. I’ll Be Back
  15. Any Time At All
  16. Things We Said Today
  17. When I Get Home

4

Beatles For Sale

1.7.1964 - 31.1.65

  1. Baby’s In Black
  2. I’m A Loser
  3. Every Little Thing
  4. I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party
  5. What You’re Doing
  6. No Reply
  7. Eight Days A Week
  8. She’s A Woman
  9. I Feel Fine
  10. Rock And Roll Music
  11. I’ll Follow The Sun
  12. Mr. Moonlight
  13. Kansas City - Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey
  14. Words Of Love
  15. Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby
  16. Honey Don’t

5

Help!

1.2.1965 - 30.8.65

  1. I Need You
  2. Another Girl
  3. Ticket To Ride
  4. Yes It Is
  5. The Night Before
  6. You Like Me Too Much
  7. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away
  8. Tell Me What You See
  9. You’re Going To Lose That Girl
  10. Help!
  11. Bad Boy
  12. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
  13. I’m Down
  14. I’ve Just Seen A Face
  15. Yesterday
  16. It’s Only Love
  17. Act Naturally
  18. Wait

Experimental period

6

Rubber Soul

1.9.1965 - 31.3.66

  1. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
  2. Run For Your Life
  3. Drive My Car
  4. Day Tripper
  5. If I Needed Someone
  6. In My Life
  7. We Can Work It Out
  8. Michelle
  9. What Goes On
  10. I’m Looking Through You
  11. Think For Yourself
  12. The Word
  13. You Won’t See Me
  14. Girl
  15. Nowhere Man

7

Revolver

1.4.1966 - 31.10.66

  1. Got To Get You Into My Life
  2. Love You To
  3. Paperback Writer
  4. Rain
  5. Doctor Robert
  6. Taxman
  7. And Your Bird Can Sing
  8. Tomorrow Never Knows
  9. I’m Only Sleeping
  10. Eleanor Rigby
  11. For No One
  12. Yellow Submarine
  13. I Want To Tell You
  14. Good Day Sunshine
  15. Here, There, And Everywhere
  16. She Said She Said

8

Sgt. Pepper’s

1.11.1966 - 30.4.67

  1. Strawberry Fields Forever
  2. When I’m Sixty-Four
  3. Penny Lane
  4. A Day In The Life
  5. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
  6. Good Morning, Good Morning
  7. Fixing A Hole
  8. Only A Northern Song
  9. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite
  10. Lovely Rita
  11. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
  12. Getting Better
  13. Within You Without You
  14. She’s Leaving Home
  15. With A Little Help From My Friends
  16. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
  17. Magical Mystery Tour

9

Magical Mystery Tour

1.5.1967 - 31.3.68

  1. Baby You’re A Rich Man
  2. All Together Now
  3. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
  4. It’s All Too Much
  5. All You Need Is Love
  6. Your Mother Should Know
  7. I Am The Walrus
  8. Blue Jay Way
  9. Flying
  10. The Fool On The Hill
  11. Hello Goodbye
  12. The Inner Light
  13. Lady Madonna
  14. Across The Universe
  15. Hey Bulldog

10

White Album

1.4.1968 - 31.10.68

  1. Revolution
  2. Revolution (1)
  3. Revolution #9
  4. Don’t Pass Me By
  5. Blackbird
  6. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey
  7. Good Night
  8. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
  9. Cry Baby Cry
  10. Helter Skelter
  11. Sexy Sadie
  12. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
  13. Hey Jude
  14. Mother Nature’s Son
  15. Yer Blues
  16. Rocky Raccoon
  17. Wild Honey Pie
  18. Back In The USSR
  19. Dear Prudence
  20. Glass Onion
  21. Can You Take Me Back
  22. I Will
  23. Birthday
  24. Piggies
  25. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
  26. Honey Pie
  27. Savoy Truffle
  28. Martha My Dear
  29. Long, Long, Long
  30. I’m So Tired
  31. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
  32. Why Don’t We Do It In the Road
  33. Julia

Late period

11

Let It Be

1.11.1968 - 31.1.1969

  1. Maggie Mae
  2. For You Blue
  3. Let It Be
  4. Dig It
  5. Get Back
  6. Don’t Let Me Down
  7. Dig A Pony
  8. I’ve Got A Feeling
  9. One After 909
  10. Two Of Us
  11. The Long And Winding Road

12

Abbey Road

1.2.1969 - 3.1.1970

  1. I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
  2. Old Brown Shoe
  3. Something
  4. The Ballad Of John And Yoko
  5. Oh! Darling
  6. Octopus’s Garden
  7. You Never Give Me Your Money
  8. Golden Slumbers
  9. Carry That Weight
  10. Her Majesty
  11. Here Comes The Sun
  12. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
  13. Come Together
  14. The End
  15. Sun King
  16. Mean Mr Mustard
  17. Polythene Pam
  18. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
  19. Because
  20. I Me Mine

    Type a song title, or try “V-of-V”, “Mixolydian” or “cross relation”.