A Doll's House

**A Doll's House** is the tenth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 31 January 1969 by Apple Records. The album features the return of George Martin as the producer after being absent from Umbrella. A Doll's House is recognised by its straightforward production that would become a trademark in the remainder of The Beatles' discography for the late 1960s, while a follow-up to the fragmentary style from its predecessor. The single *Hey Jude*, backed with *Revolution*, was released in August 1968 and topped the charts.

The album incorporates genres such as primarily folk, rock and pop, while producer George Martin returned on the condition that the Beatles adhere to the discipline of their earlier records. Five out of twelve songs were written in Rishikesh, while other two songs (*Good Night* and Hey Jude) were dedicated to John Lennon's son Julian. Despite returning with more embellished sounds than its predecessor, the band decided to avoid the psychedelic-oriented sound from previous records. The cover artwork was painted by Scottish playwright John Byrne.

Following the commercial failure from Umbrella, Brian Epstein stepped in and brought George Martin back, prevented Yoko Ono to come to the studios, and agreed to give George a share of three tracks per album in future records. In the meantime, John Lennon was dealing with the divorce proceedings with his first wife Cynthia and the pregnancy of Yoko Ono with his first daughter, Margaret. Epstein's efforts to reduce the tensions between the members was successful, as George and Paul tried to get along in the absence of Lennon.

Upon release, the album's initially mixed reviews were contrasted by its immediate commercial success, being regarded as a comeback album after the disastrous release of Umbrella. Since then, many critics have hailed the album as the Beatles' finest record in the 1960s, a harmony between the old rock-and-roll sound of the group and the rich, diverse sounds from *Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band* and *Magical Mystery Tour*, topping both charts in the US and the UK. The album has also been ranked as one of the Beatles' best-selling, including a multi-platinum certification by the RIAA, ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of the greatest albums of all time.

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Lennon–McCartney, except when noted.

## Personnel

The Beatles
* John Lennon – lead, harmony and background vocals; acoustic, lead, rhythm and bass guitars; piano, harmonium, Mellotron; harmonica, saxophone mouthpiece; extra drums (on "Back in the U.S.S.R.") and assorted percussion (tambourine, handclaps and vocal percussion), tapes, tape loops and sound effects
* Paul McCartney – lead, harmony and background vocals; bass, acoustic, lead and rhythm guitars; acoustic and electric pianos, Hammond organ; assorted percussion (timpani, tambourine, cowbell, hand shake bell, handclaps, foot taps and vocal percussion); drums (on "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Dear Prudence"); recorder
* George Harrison – lead, harmony and background vocals; lead, rhythm, acoustic and bass guitars; Hammond organ (on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"); extra drums (on "Back in the U.S.S.R.") and assorted percussion (tambourine, handclaps and vocal percussion) and sound effects
* Ringo Starr – drums and assorted percussion (tambourine, bongos, cymbals, maracas and vocal percussion); lead vocals (on "Good Night") and backing vocals (on "Hey Bulldog")

Guest musicians
* Mal Evans – backing vocals and handclaps on "Dear Prudence", trumpet on "Helter Skelter"
* Eric Clapton – lead guitar on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
* Jackie Lomax – backing vocals and handclaps on "Dear Prudence"
* John McCartney – backing vocals and handclaps on "Dear Prudence"

Production
* George Martin – producer, executive producer; string, brass, clarinet, celesta, orchestral arrangements and conducting; piano on "Rocky Raccoon"
* Chris Thomas – producer; Piano on "Long, Long, Long"
* Ken Scott – engineer and mixer
* Geoff Emerick – engineer
* Barry Sheffield – engineer (Trident Studio)