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Mr. Moonlight (song)

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"Mr. Moonlight"
Song by The Beatles
Album Beatles for Sale
Released December 4, 1964 (mono and stereo)
Recorded October 18, 1964,
EMI Studios, London
Genre Rock and roll
Length 2:33 (mono version)
2:36 (stereo version)
2:40 (US stereo version)
Label Parlophone
Writer Roy Lee Johnson
Producer George Martin
Beatles for Sale track listing
The first of the cover versions was 'Mr. Moonlight,' John sining lead on this obscure 1962 Dr. Feelgood and the Interns track. Take four was marked down as 'best', although it did not have the Hammond organ and percussion instruments which are so distinctive of the finished record. For the moment 'Mr. Moonlight' featured prominent guitar work by John and George. [...] The Beatles were still undecided about how to perform this number. Although take eight was deemed to be 'best', by take six they had still to think of the addition of Paul playing the Hammond organ.

—Mark Lewisohn, The Beatles Recording Sessions, 1988

John took the vocal spotlight for their next number, a cover of an obscure song called "Mr. Moonlight" His searing vocal introcution sent shivers down my spine, even though it took him several tries to nail it.

The stumbling block again was Harrison's guitar solo — not the notes he was playing, but the odd, sped-up tremolo sound he was using, in faithful imitation of the Dr. Feelgood version that had been a minor hit a couple of years previously. Lennon thought the unconventional sound was terrific — and, personally, so did I — but George Martin insisted that it was simply too weird. After some discussion, it was decided to overdub a cheesy organ solo instead. Even though I loathed the sound, I was most impressed to see Paul playing it — up until that point, I'd had no idea that he could even play keyboards.

—Geoff Emerick, EMI Recording Engineer, Here, There and Everywhere, p.93, 2006

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