Video: 'Please Mister Postman (Remastered 2009)'

(Tuesday, July 30, 1963, 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. British Summer Time; during recording sessions for With The Beatles) — The Beatles resumed recording sessions for their second album With The Beatles this morning at EMI Studio Two in London, recording a cover of the Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman” and beginning work on the new original Lennon–McCartney song, “It Won’t Be Long.”

Being that they were very familiar with “Please Mister Postman,” it was a pretty straightforward recording with all four musicians singing and playing live for seven straight takes.

The band recorded three takes in a similar style to their BBC performance, but found the results unsatisfactory.

Video: '11 - Please Mr. Postman (Early Take) (30 Jul 1963)'

They altered the arrangement to sound closer to the Marvelettes’ version, recording four more takes with a stop-time intro, drum breaks and a coda, the final take seven deemed “best.”

Due to their different vocal range from the Marvelettes, the Beatles modulate their version into A major.

Between recording two takes of overdubs, the band added handclaps while Lennon double tracked his original vocal, take nine marked “best.”

Video: 'The Beatles "It Won't Be Long" Alternate "early" take.'

They recorded the song from approximately 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. BST, before finishing the morning session with work on the much more difficult (and less familiar) original composition “It Won’t Be Long.”

Starting at approximately 11:30 a.m. EST, ten takes were made in this early session, which included two overdubs of the ending.

Unfortunately, all of this was scrapped with the intention of starting again in the second recording session of that day.