Cherry Beat - Recording Sessions (Part Two - The Band's First Album)

8th May 1971
The four band members - Peter McDonald, Sam Whitby, Torquil Dohrn, and Devon O'Connell - together with their producer - Chudley Maron - gathered in the studio to record the band's first original composition. An electric blues rocker called "Missile Line 01-1-10".

7th July 1971
The four band members - Peter McDonald, Sam Whitby, Torquil Dohrn, and Devon O'Connell - together with their producer - Chudley Maron - gathered in the studio to record two new compositions. "Midnight Parade" and "Festival".

9th July 1971
The four band members - Peter McDonald, Sam Whitby, Torquil Dohrn, and Devon O'Connell - together with their producer - Chudley Maron - gathered in the studio to begin work on a new composition.

A psychedelic rock song "Rainballs", which was Peter's attempt at doing the same sort of music The Beatles had done on their 1966 album Revolver [UK].

Of course, there was absolutely no way a song like that would be recorded and completed using basic equipment. A couple more sessions at least would be necessary in order to complete the song.

11th July 1971
The four band members - Peter McDonald, Sam Whitby, Torquil Dohrn, and Devon O'Connell - together with their producer - Chudley Maron - gathered in the studio to begin work on a new composition. A hard rock song called "Rock It!"

13th July 1971
The four band members - Peter McDonald, Sam Whitby, Torquil Dohrn, and Devon O'Connell - together with their producer - Chudley Maron - gathered in the studio to record a new composition. An acoustic ballad called "Magpie".

14th July 1971
Sam Whitby double tracks his lead vocal on Midnight Parade. Devon O'Connell records tambourine overdubs for the track.

Peter McDonald double tracks his lead vocal on Festival. Devon O'Connell records tambourine overdubs for the track.

15th July 1971
Torquil Dohrn, Peter McDonald, Devon O'Connell, and Sam Whitby record electric slide guitar, electric guitar, cowbell, and six string bass guitar overdubs for Rock It!, respectively.

Sam Whitby records hammond organ overdubs for Missile Line 01-1-10.

16th July 1971
Torquil Dohrn records a bass-line on electric guitar, and Peter McDonald records a harmony vocal and an acoustic rhythm guitar overdub for Magpie.

17th July 1971
Torquil Dohrn turns his lead guitar around for Rainballs, so that it plays backwards. Peter McDonald records an acoustic guitar overdub for the song. Devon O'Connell records a tambourine overdub, Sam Whitby, a hammond organ overdub, and Chudley Maron, a rain-stick overdub. Two more sessions were proven necessary in order to complete the song, making it more complex than any previous Cherry Beat recording.

18th July 1971
Torquil Dohrn, Devon O'Connell, and Sam Whitby record sitar, tabla, and tambura overdubs respectively to Rainballs.

19th July 1971
Torquil Dohrn, Peter McDonald, Devon O'Connell, and Sam Whitby record tape loops and add them to Rainballs. The song was now completed.

20th July 1971
Peter McDonald records and adds tape loops to Magpie.

21st July 1971
Torquil Dohrn records a trumpet overdub to Rock It! Peter McDonald adds sound effects through brass instruments, and Sam Whitby adds sound effects.

8th August 1971
Single Release — Midnight Parade / Festival

9th September 1971
Single Release — Rock It! / Missile Line 01-1-10

11th September 1971
The four band members - Peter McDonald, Sam Whitby, Torquil Dohrn, and Devon O'Connell - together with their producer - Chudley Maron - gathered in the studio to record rock and roll covers of "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Blue Suede Shoes", and "Roll over Beethoven".

26th September 1971
The four band members - Peter McDonald, Sam Whitby, Torquil Dohrn, and Devon O'Connell - together with their producer - Chudley Maron - gathered in the studio to record rock and roll covers of "Wake Up Little Susie", "Jailhouse Rock", and "Twist Little Sister". However none of these three songs would make the album.

29th September 1971
The four band members - Peter McDonald, Sam Whitby, Torquil Dohrn, and Devon O'Connell - together with their producer - Chudley Maron - gathered in the studio to record rock and roll covers of "I Got Stung", "Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)", and "The Twist".

However none of these three songs would be immediately released, with "Soldier of Love" and "The Twist" needing overdubs.

11th October 1971
Single Release — Magpie / Rainballs

13th October 1971
Sam Whitby double tracks his lead vocal on Roll over Beethoven. Torquil Dohrn, Peter McDonald, Devon O'Connell, and Sam Whitby also record and add handclaps to the song. Later that day, the group begin work on a new composition called "Please No More" which was Peter McDonald's attempt at imitating the boogie rock style of Status Quo.

The band also recorded a third song on this day, "Propinquity", a Country song that Michael Nesmith had written before he became a member of The Monkees. He also recorded a version of the song in 1968 before he left The Monkees. The Monkees' version was eventually released on Missing Links Volume Three.

14th October 1971
Peter McDonald double tracks his lead vocal on Please No More.

Torquil Dohrn double tracks his lead vocal on Propinquity.

15th October 1971
The group records two more rock and roll covers for their first album. One of them was a song "Rip It Up" that had originally been recorded by Little Richard. The other was a Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song "Shake 'Em Up (and Let 'Em Roll)" which had previously been recorded by The Monkees.