Songs famous for being recorded in one studio take

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The Beatles - "Twist and Shout"
Bob Dylan - "Mr. Tambourine Man"/"Gates of Eden"/"It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" (recorded in one, continuous take)

― PBfromCleveland (PBfromCleveland), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:06 (nineteen years ago)

nmh - oh comely

― You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (Haberdager), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

Patsy Cline - Crazy

― Cressida Breem (neruokruokruokne?), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:11 (nineteen years ago)

Sister Ray.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:14 (nineteen years ago)

Wasn't, like, all of "Velvet Underground & Nico" recorded like this?

― less-than three's Christiane F. (drowned in milk), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

well i don't know how FAMOUS it is, but kate bush's mrs. bartolozzi on Aerial.

― Ramzi Awn (rra123), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:51 (nineteen years ago)

the gash - flaming lips

― held tony (held tony), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:52 (nineteen years ago)

Zen Arcade, save for a couple of songs.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:58 (nineteen years ago)

all the songs on Nick Drake's Pink Moon, minus "Pink Moon" (which had the piano overdubbed) itself

(if hotel counts as studio)

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 9 October 2006 16:16 (nineteen years ago)

Virtually every pre-"Help!" Beatles track.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 9 October 2006 16:18 (nineteen years ago)

wasn't the klf's chill out done in one take?

― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Monday, 9 October 2006 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

I think ... Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" (her vocal) -- can anyone confirm this?

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 9 October 2006 16:55 (nineteen years ago)

The vocal to Gnarls Barkley's Crazy apparently was, and Cee-Lo wrote the lyrics in the ten minutes before recording.

― chap who would dare to contain two ingredients. Tea and bags. (chap), Monday, 9 October 2006 16:56 (nineteen years ago)

I was about to say "My Heart Will Go On," having heard the same thing.

And though not the whole song, the whole drum track on Steely Dan's "Aja" was recorded in one take, I've heard.

And some of the songs on Roberta Flack's First Take? I heard the whole album was recorded in 10 hours, so I presume at least some of the songs were one-takers.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Monday, 9 October 2006 18:49 (nineteen years ago)

How do you guys know they didn't do a second take?

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 9 October 2006 18:55 (nineteen years ago)

"Llorando" - Rebekah del Rio

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 9 October 2006 18:56 (nineteen years ago)

I seem to recall that David Bowie is the king of the one-take vocal. Pretty good for a smoker ...

― M Taylor (BlackIronPrison), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

"Hold On" The Redskins

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:31 (nineteen years ago)

I wouldn't say they are famous but Frank Black and The Catholics s/t and Pistolero albums

― Radio Free Albemuth (DocMartensBoots), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:39 (nineteen years ago)

How do you guys know they didn't do a second take?

I don't think we can really know, this is more of a "legend has it" thing I believe.

Thom Yorke's vocal on UNKLE's "Rabbit In Yr Headlights".

― got yourself a fish biscuit! (nickalicious), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:40 (nineteen years ago)

Didn't RATM claim in the liner notes on their debut album that EVERY TRACK was recorded live, in-studio, single-takes? SOmething like that.

― got yourself a fish biscuit! (nickalicious), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:41 (nineteen years ago)

Couple of the songs on Springsteen's Born In The U.S.A. qualify (supposedly the title track was the first run through of it)

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:42 (nineteen years ago)

Now THAT I will buy.

― got yourself a fish biscuit! (nickalicious), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

supposedly Deerhoof did this w/The Runners Four, though not sure if they were first takes.

― held tony (held tony), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:44 (nineteen years ago)

"Couple of the songs on Springsteen's Born In The U.S.A. qualify (supposedly the title track was the first run through of it)"

Yes, there's a legendary bootleg of the title track in which Bruce calls the band back with a ferocious count-in, and they proceed to play for another 5 minutes or so. The album track was culled from the first 4 minutes of the run-through.

― PBfromCleveland (PBfromCleveland), Monday, 9 October 2006 20:02 (nineteen years ago)

"wasn't the klf's chill out done in one take?"

Oui.

― Griff Sheridan (Griff Sheridan), Monday, 9 October 2006 20:11 (nineteen years ago)

Smashing Pumpkins' "Where Boys Fear To Tread" is pretty much a one-take wonder - the version on Mellon Collie... was the first time they'd played it as a band. The samples from DOOM might constitute cheating, though.

― LC (Damian), Monday, 9 October 2006 20:16 (nineteen years ago)

Doesn't Jay-Z brag about this a lot? There's one Black Album tune that has some patter in the beginning where he's betting the engineer that he can get it in one (it'd be funny if they put that in and then used the 10th take though).

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 9 October 2006 20:26 (nineteen years ago)

guitar in "maggot brain"

― a.b. (alanbanana), Monday, 9 October 2006 22:17 (nineteen years ago)

Doesn't Jay-Z brag about this a lot? There's one Black Album tune that has some patter in the beginning where he's betting the engineer that he can get it in one

He also does this in a remix of a Minute Man by Missy.

― Stuh-du-du-du-du-du-du-denka (jingleberries), Monday, 9 October 2006 23:50 (nineteen years ago)

Much of Trout Mask Replica, apparently.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 9 October 2006 23:53 (nineteen years ago)

I think it was in their episode of Behind The Music that Quiet Riot claimed that their recording of "Cum On Feel The Noize" is not only the first take, but the first time they ever played the song.

― Chuck Keller (c keller), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 00:05 (nineteen years ago)

Smashing Pumpkins' "Where Boys Fear To Tread" is pretty much a one-take wonder - the version on Mellon Collie... was the first time they'd played it as a band.

Woah! Really? That's fabulous! Somehow now that you say that, I can totally hear that in the song, even though at the same time it FEELS like a song they had to have spent more time on, it's just so good! Uh oh...I think I feel a Pumpkins thread coming on.

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 00:32 (nineteen years ago)

"wasn't the klf's chill out done in one take?"

Oui

That one take was after a day and a half of messed-up and abandoned takes, though, the album is just the first time they got it right.

― occasional mongrel (kit brash), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 03:02 (nineteen years ago)

First Take is a great album.

How many takes did it take to put down "Peggy Sue"? I remember hearing some story that somebody had to hit a toggle on Buddy Holly's guitar when he went into the solo because he couldn't stop playing to do it himself.

― Ruud Comes to Haarvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 03:09 (nineteen years ago)

The vocal to Gnarls Barkley's Crazy apparently was, and Cee-Lo wrote the lyrics in the ten minutes before recording.
-- chap who would dare to contain two ingredients. Tea and bags. (joe.goode...), October 9th, 2006.

it fuckin shows, because it fuckin sucks. i hear it in grocery stores next to alan parsons & pointer sisters (right where it belongs).

― corey c (shock of daylight), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 05:24 (nineteen years ago)

I thought the Gnarls Barkley album was done in seperate home studios with the dudes sending the music back and forth? So who could've been there with Cee-Lo to see this happen? Ahhh! Although it makes perfect sense that he might have somebody with him helping him record...

It's also much less impressive to nail an overdubbed vocal in one take than it is for a whole band to bring a song together for the first time without anybody messing up.

― Rat Nasty (ratnasty), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 05:29 (nineteen years ago)

Prince's "Power Fantastic" was done in one take, I think.

― Jay Vee's Return (Manon_69), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 05:34 (nineteen years ago)

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

― rattusnorvegicus (ratty!!), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 05:56 (nineteen years ago)

also purple rain and the cross.

― chaki (chaki), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 06:08 (nineteen years ago)

nearly all of miles davis' "kind of blue" was done in one take

― matagouri (matagouri), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 11:23 (nineteen years ago)

wasn't some or all of "astral weeks" one take? or was it just one long session

― Eric Harvey (eric marathonpacks), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 11:31 (nineteen years ago)

The vocals on "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers.

― Matt Golden (goldmatt), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 11:38 (nineteen years ago)

about dylan there's also sad eyed lady. the guys in the band didn't even know when the song should end, apparently, as he hadn't played it to them. after a while, at each "chorus" (not really choruses but still) they thought it was the final... but bob kept going on forever and ever ! great song, though.

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 11:52 (nineteen years ago)

"How many takes did it take to put down "Peggy Sue"? I remember hearing some story that somebody had to hit a toggle on Buddy Holly's guitar when he went into the solo because he couldn't stop playing to do it himself."

Yeah -- not sure how many takes it required, but the rhythm player (can't recall his name now) did have to hit a toggle for the chord solo. Also, the drummer (Jerry Allison?) had difficulty with the beat, and before they succeeded on the final take Buddy jokingly warned him that if he didn't get it right on that take then the song title was going to be changed back to "Cindy Lou." Peggy Sue was the name of the drummer's wife.

― PBfromCleveland (PBfromCleveland), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 15:44 (nineteen years ago)

Also, speaking of Buddy Holly, "True Love Ways" was put down in one take -- orchestra, Buddy's amazing vocal, and all.

― PBfromCleveland (PBfromCleveland), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

Wasn't "Revolution 9" basically mixed live, with Lennon as the "conductor" of the various tape loops?

― mike a (mike a), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 17:26 (nineteen years ago)

four weeks pass...

united states of whatever.

― pisces (piscesx), Thursday, 9 November 2006 18:16 (nineteen years ago)

the entirety of "Siamese Dream"

― less-than three's Christiane F. (drowned in milk), Thursday, 9 November 2006 19:25 (nineteen years ago)

siamese dream has upwards of 30 guitar overdubs on tracks like "soma".

― pipecock (pipecock), Thursday, 9 November 2006 20:42 (nineteen years ago)

hating on "Crazy" is just crazy. i dare anyone on here to write a better song in their entire lives. good luck.

― pipecock (pipecock), Thursday, 9 November 2006 20:44 (nineteen years ago)

Much of Trout Mask Replica, apparently.

That explains it.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 9 November 2006 20:54 (nineteen years ago)

That was a pretty lame joke, I guess.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 9 November 2006 20:54 (nineteen years ago)

Most of Muddy Waters' Hard Again produced by Johnny Winter.

― shorty (shorty), Thursday, 9 November 2006 20:58 (nineteen years ago)

Television-Marquee Moon (Verlaine thought it was just a run-through, but the tape was rolling. They did do overdubs though.)

― The Dusty Baker Selection (Charles McCain), Friday, 10 November 2006 00:26 (nineteen years ago)

The Kingsmen-Louie Louie (They thought they were testing for levels.)

― The Dusty Baker Selection (Charles McCain), Friday, 10 November 2006 00:28 (nineteen years ago)

The entirety of The Cowboy Junkies' Trinity Sessions album, and on a single stereo microphone to boot.

― pirouette (35 Hertz), Friday, 10 November 2006 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

six years pass...

...the tape was still rolling and it sounded good

― Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, 21 May 2013 10:57 (twelve years ago)

Thread revive for ZZ Top's "Tush" - at least according to them on Stern last week.

― Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, 21 May 2013 11:05 (twelve years ago)

green onions!

― liam fennell, Tuesday, 21 May 2013 11:36 (twelve years ago)

Can, Yoo Doo Right

― Bees Against Racism (Tom D.), Tuesday, 21 May 2013 13:28 (twelve years ago)

The Who, "The Real Me" (with horn overdubs, granted). It was the first run-through, and John Entwistle said he was "joking around" with his part. He always found it amusing that it was held up as one of the highlights of his career.

― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Tuesday, 21 May 2013 13:50 (twelve years ago)

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