This Day in Beatle History

July 18

1968 (Jul 18) - Beatles Record 'Helter Skelter'

Working at Abbey Road studios The Beatles recorded ‘Cry Baby Cry’ and ‘Helter Skelter’. One take of ‘Helter Skelter’ lasted 27′ 11”, the longest Beatle recording ever.

1969 (Jul 18) - Beatles Record 'Octopus's Garden'

During sessions at Abbey Road studios, London, Ringo Starr recorded his vocal to ‘Octopus’s Garden’, for the Abbey Road album. Starr had written the song when he ‘quit’ The Beatles the previous year and was staying on actor Peter Seller’s yacht in the Mediterranean.

1974 (Jul 18) - US Justice Dept Orders John Out of the Country

The US Justice Department ordered John Lennon out of the country by September 10th. The Immigration and Naturalization Service denied him an extension of his non-immigrant visa because of his guilty plea in England to a 1968 marijuana possession charge. The US Court of Appeal would overturn the deportation order in 1975 and Lennon was granted permanent resident status the following year.

2008 (Feb 20) - Beatles' Autographed Rolling Stones Album Auctioned

A 1976 Rolling Stones album bought for £2 at a car boot sale sold for £4,000 at an auction. The ‘Black and Blue’ LP was signed by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Paul and Linda McCartney and George Harrison as well as members of the Rolling Stones. The seller obtained the album after haggling the cost down from £3.

July 19

1965 (Jul 19) - Ringo Buys Sunny Heights in Weybridge.

Ringo buys Sunny Heights in Weybridge.

1966 (Feb 18) - Brian Wilson Finishes 'Good Vibrations'

Beach Boy Brian Wilson finished recording the future classic song ‘Good Vibrations’, which went on to become the band’s third US number-one hit. As a child, his mother told him that dogs could pick up “vibrations” from people, so that the dog would bark at “bad vibrations” Wilson turned this into the general idea for the song.

1967 (Jul 19) - 'All You Need Is Love' #1 in Britain

The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘All You Need Is Love’ the group’s 12th UK No.1 single. The Beatles had been selected to represent the UK for the first-ever global-wide satellite broadcast. The group agreed to be shown in the studio recording a song written especially for the occasion, (which was aired on June 25). John Lennon wrote ‘All You Need is Love’ which was thought to sum up the 1967 ‘summer of love’ and The Beatles’ sympathies.