A Day In The Life - The Beatles - Full Instrumental Recreation (4K)

Well, this is what I've been working on!

Here it is, one of the truly epic Beatles songs. A haunting, massive track.

Covering this was a hell of an endeavor, encompassing 2 months of effort. There's no way I can describe all the magic of this song in this space, but it was truly a privilege picking this apart.

This little project started for a simple reason: I realized that despite having the best drum part of perhaps any song in music history, there's no note-for-note recreation of this song anywhere on YouTube. As someone who is always up for a challenge, I decided to make my own! I slowed down the fills, studied them, and played it enough times to get the feel. To get the sound perfect, I spent day after day messing around with micing and tuning my set. I even consulted Geoff Emerick's notes and removed the bottom tom heads, which was great advice! After 8 separate days recording and testing, I finally hit upon a close sound. Viola!

But getting the drums right was just the beginning! Everything else about this song is interesting. John's jazzy acoustic chords during the middle 8 and that strikingly thick J-160E tone. Paul's brilliantly quirky piano fills (major props to Mattiboo's cover for illustrating how complex those parts are). Weirdly eclectic percussion (maracas, congas, AND tambourine). This song is BANANAS. Can you believe this was released by the same dudes who sang "She Loves You"? Man, to be alive at the time. Minds must've exploded everywhere.

The bass also took 3-4 attempts before getting a close sound. Paul's really playing less of a bassline and more of a countermelody, similar to "Something." And just like that cover, I needed to memorize it note-for-note to get the song right. Man, what a song!

Trivia:

- Initially recorded on January 19, 1967 with the working title "In the Life Of..."

- Yes, that's the original strings/orchestra part! I used the isolated track as a placeholder and intended to make my own version with Cinematic Studio. Incredibly, the orignal track was not blocked! You can hear some of my own brass in the "Ahhs" dream section, which I blended with the original.

- I own no congas, so I used a djembe (thanks Mark!). Sounded damn good!

Thank you infinitely to my Beatles brain trust for your advice - Clay, Jack, Galeazzo, Ryan, Perry, DLD2, Nathan, and many others.

Instruments:
- Acoustic Guitar: 2017 Gibson J-160E 1962 Custom Shop (Pyramid .13 flats)
- Bass: 2018 Rickenbacker 4003 bass (Pyramid flats)
- Drums: Ludwig Black Oyster Pearl 1969 No. 980 Super Classic 9x13 / 16x16 / 14x22
- Piano donated for this song by a close connection. You know who you are!
- Maracas
- Djembe
- Tambourine

Recording Equipment & Miscellaneous:
- PreSonus Studio 1824C Interface (6 microphones used)
- Cad Audio Stage7 7-Piece Drum Microphones (top and bottom snare, bass drum)
- MXL V250 Condenser Mic: acoustic guitar, under rack tom
- Shure SM57 (2 - one under and on top of floor tom)
- Drums recorded and mixed with PreSonus Studio One
- Track assembled in Audacity

Plugins used on this track:
- Waves Abbey Road RS124 Compressor Stereo
- Abbey Road Plates Stereo
- Puigchild Compressor

Video Equipment:
- Camera: Canon M50
- Edited with Adobe Premiere Pro on HP Envy 32'' All in One

Feel free to leave comments, I'll respond to as many as I can.

[angeldquintas]

I never realized it until now but the maracas in the beginning almost sound like a clock ticking, up until the alarm goes off. Just another level of the Beatles’ genius.

[patrii]

Michael, I'm speechless. I have no words to describe what I just saw. This is, without any doubt, the BEST cover of this song on YouTube. Congratulations on another success.

[Jason.Brayshaw]

Ringo's drums on this track are so symphonic, he plays them like a timpani. I've been waiting for this one. Stunning as always. The best channel on YouTube by far. Can't wait for the next one!

[kewkabe]

Seeing the visuals of the drumming just highlights how Ringo was looking at the drum part in a completely different way than anybody else was doing at the time. Instead of the standard high-hat and snare holding the beat then doing fills at the end of a section, he's playing it more like a xylophone, doing a counter-melody throughout with each drum its own unique "note." Just a totally different approach to pop and rock drumming. Then there's the simplicity of the piano part, the simple chord strumming of the acoustic, the maracas all simple parts that mesh together to form such a complex web of music. A true masterpiece and an awesome note-for-note recreation!

[JoesArtchannel]

This is by far the greatest Beatles instrumental I have ever heard. Wow. Just wow…

[leonardoconde]

LYRICS ???
[Verse 1: John Lennon]
I read the news today—oh, boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well, I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords

[Verse 2: John Lennon]
I saw a film today, oh boy
The English Army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
But I just had to look
Having read the book

[Refrain: John Lennon]
I'd love to turn you on

(Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)
*alarm clock rings*

[Bridge: Paul McCartney]
Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
And somebody spoke and I went into a dream

[Interlude: John Lennon]
Ahh-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ahh

[Verse 3: John Lennon]
I read the news today—oh, boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall

[Refrain: John Lennon]
I'd love to turn you on

[Instrumental Outro]

*whistle*
*studio chatter*

[stangorarr]

I honestly don’t think you could’ve come back stronger. Fantastic stuff. You absolutely blew it out of the water.

[hamueramusic]

i love how at the very beginning of the song like with just the acoustic guitar, it sounds like returning home from somewhere, but then all the other instruments come in and it turns in a complete different direction, as if going back for one more adventure

[coZyLos]

2:50 this part gave me goosebumps, it sounds very identical to the original!

[ulissegarnerone]

For those who say "Shure sm-57 is a bad microphone", an incredible recording lesson for you and for all of us.
Astounding, marvelous, you are great.

[petet]

I was 13 when this came out. I thought The Beatles couldn't keep up their high standards for another multi hit album. I mean, nobody had done that. Then Srg Pepper came out and it literally blew my mind. This track in particular. The chord at the end is everybodys mind exploding!
So many genres done so well. Multiple hits AGAIN on one album. So original. I told my Mum.. " these guys are geniuses Mum, this is even better than anything they have already done!" It was unbelievable.
You've done a great job, especially Paul's piano which I love. It's so casual, just ad libbing in the groove of the song. I agree, Ringo's drums are perfect for the song too. Thanks again, all the best.

[justinherbert]

One of my all time favorite drum parts is this one by Ringo - it is brilliant and i could head it thousands of times and it never gets old - there are so many musical highlights in this recording but Ringo's drums probably stand out the most for me -- great job Mike, outstanding!

[Vincentlpp]

Bass sounds so awesome and punchy here. The Rick really returned with a bang

[YankeePinstriper]

I've always been skeptical of A Day In The Life covers, because most of them are missing something in one way or another, but this is the first time I actually like a cover of this song. And I know it means nothing to you, but just know that you made someone happy with your cover!! Great stuff man, you earned yourself a subscriber!!!

[NWRofSodor]

Holy shit, that snare drum is so SWEET, and I swore I could hear some vocals during the infamous "ahhh" section, You've no doubt heard this a million times, but stellar job once again.

[nazfrde]

"Found my way upstairs and had a smoke. Then everybody spoke and I went into a dream. Oh, shit."

[ursumuf]

God knows how many times I've listened to the original, this is utterly impressive.

[elsapucai]

Never noticed Ringo's magnificent work in this song until now. As a beatle fan since my childhood, I'm surprised

[sampopkin]

Absolute perfection. So cool to learn about the doubled piano lines! Great job as always man

[autumndaze]

Seeing it as we’ve heard after all these years is quite breathtaking. Those eerie guitar strums, the unsettling piano accompaniment and those drums all add to the atmosphere but the way you piece them all together is outstanding. Amazing.