According to the BeatlesBible.com website, The Beatles recorded “I’ve Just Seen a Face” on June 14, 1965, at EMI Recording Studios (later Abbey Road). The unreleased version is the third of six takes of the tune that were recorded that day. The track features Paul McCartney on vocals and acoustic guitar; John Lennon and George Harrison on acoustic guitars; and Ringo Starr on brushed snare drum.
At the beginning of the recording, you can here some banter between McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison. John quips, “Lonnie’s gonna regret not singing on this one,” apparently referencing U.K. skiffle legend Lonnie Donegan. At the end of the track, Lennon is heard commenting, “I broke a string.”
The Beatles posted a brief video feature on their social media pages to accompany the announcement of the release of “I’ve Just Seen a Face (Take 3).” The clip includes audio of an archival interview with McCartney discussing the song.
“‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’ … it keeps dragging you forward,” he says. “It’s a quite nice little song. I liked it. It’s sort of slightly country and western from my point-of-view. It was faster, though. It was a strange, uptempo thing. I was quite pleased with it. Like a crossword puzzle, [it was] one of the things I liked writing to.