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Wednesday, January 22, 1969

Get Back sessions • Day 13

For The Beatles

Last updated on January 12, 2025


Master session

Location

  • Recording studio: Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London

Timeline

Master release

AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Anthology 3" Official album

Some of the songs from this session also appear on:

Overview

On this day, The Beatles continued the “Get Back” sessions at Apple Studios in London. This marked the second day at their new studio and the 13th day overall for the project.

The day proved pivotal, due to the arrival of a special guest, Billy Preston, who would profoundly influence the tone of the remaining sessions.

Billy Preston first met The Beatles in Hamburg in the early 1960s. He was in London for some concert and TV appearances with Ray Charles. George Harrison encountered him and invited him to the Beatles sessions. Preston joined the band after lunch, contributing electric piano and keyboards. His playing immediately enhanced the sound of the sessions, particularly as the project continued to adhere to a strict “no overdubs” rule. His presence also had an energizing effect on the group, encouraging them to play with renewed focus and enthusiasm. For a time, the earlier tensions of the Twickenham sessions seemed a distant memory.

For this session, The Beatles concentrated their efforts on three songs: “Don’t Let Me Down,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” and “Dig A Pony.” Repeated rehearsals, recordings, and playbacks of these tracks formed the core of the day’s work. Preston quickly adapted to the material, inspiring the band to push themselves creatively. Versions of “I’ve Got A Feeling” and “Dig A Pony” from this session were released on “Anthology 3” in 1996.

A take of “Don’t Let Me Down,” and different takes of “I’ve Got A Feeling,” and “Dig A Pony,” from this day were also selected by engineer/producer Glyn Johns for his “Get Back” album, though the project was ultimately shelved until its release on the 2021’s “Let It Be” 50th anniversary reissue.

The band also dabbled in cover songs, far less than in the previous sessions, showing a greater focus on recording their new songs. Attempts included Fats Domino’s “I’m Ready” (also known as “Rocker”) and “Save The Last Dance For Me,” both of which Glyn Johns included in the multiple iterations of his “Get Back” album.

As the day progressed, the improved working environment at Apple Studios, combined with Preston’s contributions, reinvigorated The Beatles. The idea of a live performance remained alive, with discussions of potential venues such as London’s Primrose Hill. For now, the band seemed to be rediscovering some of their creative synergy, leaving behind the discord of earlier sessions.


When I got there, they were filming Let It Be and recording and all. We started reminiscing and playing old rock’n’roll songs. They said: “Sit in. You want to stay and help us finish the album? Take a solo…” They just made me a member of the band.

Billy Preston – Quoted in Classic Rock, May 2020

I was on tour with Ray Charles and we were in London. George was at the concert and thought: “Hey, that looks like Billy Preston.” So he called around and found out that it was me. He called me at the hotel and invited me over to see the guys. Before I got there, Mal Evans had told me that they had been going through a lot of depression, and that he was glad that I came around because it gave them a lot of life. It made them happy a little bit.

Billy Preston – Quoted in Classic Rock, May 2020

Billy came down and I said, ‘Remember Billy? Here he is – he can play the piano’. He got on the electric piano, and straight away there was 100% improvement in the vibe in the room. Having this fifth person was just enough to cut the ice that we’d created among ourselves. Billy didn’t know all the politics and the games that had been going on, so in his innocence he got stuck in and gave an extra little kick to the band. Everybody was happier to have somebody else playing and it made what we were doing more enjoyable. We all played better and that was a great session. It was more or less just as it is on the record.

George Harrison – From “The Beatles Anthology” book, 2000

It was still very strained, the atmosphere, and then Billy Preston walked into the office. I just grabbed him and brought him down to the studio, and said, ‘How would you like to play piano?’ And it put everything more at ease, because, having a fifth person there, it sort of off-set the vibes.

George Harrison – From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008

I pulled in Billy Preston. It helped because the others would have to control themselves a bit more. John and Paul mainly, because they had to, you know, act more handsomely. It’s interesting to see how people behave nicely when you bring a guest in because they don’t want everyone to know that they’re so bitchy.”

George Harrison – From “Recording the Beatles : The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used to Create Their Classic Albums” by Kevin Ryan & Brian Kehew, 2006

It’s interesting to see how people behave nicely when you bring a guest in, because they don’t really want everybody to know they’re so bitchy… Suddenly everybody’s on their best behaviour.

George Harrison – Quoted in Classic Rock, May 2020

Billy was really special to the band at that time. I think George was very wise for bringing him in, because Billy was a calming effect. They were all really big fans of Billy. He was really important to the whole thing. When they were in the studio, they would play something and Billy would look over at me with his eyes just as big as saucers and go: “Wow, did you hear that?” And they’d turn to Billy and say: “Hey, why don’t you do this here?” and Billy would go: “Wow, that’s great.”

Ken Mansfield, US manager at Apple Records – Quoted in Classic Rock, May 2020

Billy was brilliant – a little young whizz-kid. We’d always got on very well with him. He showed up in London and we all said, ‘Oh Bill! Great – let’s have him play on a few things.’ So he started sitting in on the sessions, because he was an old mate really.

It might have helped us all behave better with one another on the sessions. I think it also created problems, because as The Beatles we’d always just been four people in the band. We were very much a unit — the Four-Headed Monster, I’ve heard us referred to.

So when Billy came in, I think that though we did have to behave ourselves a bit – because it was like having a guest in the house, someone you put your best manners on for – there was a slight worry in the background also that maybe he was joining the group. That kind of thing was happening. So we couldn’t tell whether it was a crack in the whole thing, or whether it was going to be good. It was a little bit puzzling.

But he played great and we all had a great time, so it worked out fine in the end.

Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles Anthology” book, 2000


Conversations

Paul McCartney produced Mary Hopkin’s first album, named “Post Card“, at the end of 1968. The release was scheduled a month after this particular session, and Paul briefly discussed the imminent release.

Neil thinks they’ll want to print their own in America. It’s like… I don’t like that thing where it goes cheap when it goes to America – and they do the reprint. Because the album’s gonna be called Postcard. By Mary Hopkin. So we’re just getting Valentine’s, the people who make postcards, to put one of them on the cover of the LP. There’s no, sort of, sleeve notes… And just a few pictures of her in it all.

Paul McCartney – From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

Billy Preston joined the session after lunch, and he was promptly persuaded by John Lennon to join the band for this project. George Harrison then proposed playing the numbers they had so far for Billy to learn them.

John Lennon: Every number’s got a piano part. And normally we overdub it. But this time we wanna do it live.

Billy Preston: Yeah. That’d be nice.

John Lennon: I mean, just live to ourselves… Straight off, one number after the other. And that means having somebody in on it.

George Harrison: If you’d like to do that you’re welcome.

Billy Preston: Sure. Beautiful.

John Lennon: Right. And then you’d be on the album.

Billy Preston: You’re kidding.

John Lennon: Well, that’s good then. We’ve taped a few. The thing is to get some tapes made of what we’ve done, and let him have a listen, take ’em home at night.

George Harrison: He’ll probably pick them up much quicker hearing us play ’em.

Paul McCartney: Yeah, just rehearsing them.

John Lennon: Have you met Billy, George?

George Martin: How do you do, Billy?

John Lennon: That’s George Martin, our A&R man. That’s Billy. We played with him in Hamburg. He was backing Little Richard.

Paul McCartney: In the old days.

From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

On January 10, 1969, George Harrison walked out of the “Get Back” sessions at Twickenham Film Studios, no longer able to endure the growing tensions within the group. On January 15, he outlined his conditions for returning: the planned live TV special would have to be scrapped, and rehearsals for the new album relocated from Twickenham to Apple’s basement studio. Despite these demands, George agreed to continue being filmed while making the new album. The other Beatles accepted George’s terms.

At this stage, on January 22, the goal of the sessions evolved : the idea of making a commercial film from those sessions, that would become the 3rd Beatles movie, emerged. The film would culminate in a live event. Primrose Hill, a grassy hill with spectacular views across London, was considered.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: I had a word with Neil. What he indicates is that we’ll do something early next week.

John Lennon: And it’ll be great. Soon as we got them off… We almost know three numbers, actually. I mean, we’ll get it. And the thing is we’ve got Billy now.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Is he going to stay with you?

John Lennon: Yeah, well sure. He’s the guy. And that solves a lot. Paul was saying we do the whole show once here, and then maybe go up Primrose Hill, or something.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: I think do it here and then, like, take a week…

John Lennon: Or we could do half of the LP here and the other half outside. It will be fantastic with this whole build up with bits of paper, and Twickenham, and all that scene. And it will be a movie, you know, not a TV show. It will be the third Beatles movie.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: If it’s good enough, yeah.

John Lennon: It’s good enough now.

From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Paul, what I’d like to do now is go and talk to Neil about seeing if Primrose Hill is free. Can I do that?

Paul McCartney: It would be nice almost not to tell ’em.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Exactly. That’s why I wanted to do it in Africa. Because you just start playing, and one by one they come, one by one, ten by ten…

Unknown: Well, to me that’s okay. Primrose Hill. And I dig it.

Paul McCartney: And then if it lasts for two days, that will be really good because we’ll all be forced into a time thing and we won’t have another go at it.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Right, I agree. I think the second day, in fact, will be the one that will make it.

Paul McCartney:And I bet that would just, sort of, magically then give us the show.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: So, but just roughly, timewise, you’d say in about a week?

Paul McCartney: Yeah.

From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

At some point in the session, Peter Brown, the managing director of Apple Corps, approached John to arrange a meeting with controversial American businessman Allen Klein. John requested that the meeting be scheduled for Monday the 27th.

Peter Brown: I’ve spoken with Mr. Klein. He’s coming in Friday. So I don’t think he’ll be here until the end of the day. So, about six o’clock on Friday.

John Lennon: I think… Weren’t we doing something on Friday night?

Yoko Ono: Friday night, yes.

John Lennon: He’s not coming for a day, is he? Can I see him on Monday night?

Peter Brown: Yeah ok.

John Lennon: Tell him we’ll go for dinner.

Yoko Ono: Who’s this?

John Lennon: Allen Klein.

From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021
From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

From Facebook – 22 January 1969 Photo by Ethan A. Russell © Apple Corps Ltd. (https://www.thebeatles.com/)
From Facebook – 22 January 1969 Photo by Ethan A. Russell © Apple Corps Ltd. (https://www.thebeatles.com/)
From Facebook – 22 January 1969 Photo by Ethan A. Russell © Apple Corps Ltd. (https://www.thebeatles.com/)
From Facebook – 22 January 1969 Photo by Ethan A. Russell © Apple Corps Ltd. (https://www.thebeatles.com/)
From the book “The Beatles – Get Back” – 22 January 1969 Photo by Ethan A. Russell © Apple Corps Ltd. (https://www.thebeatles.com/) – John, Yoko and Allan Williams, the Liverpool promoter who arranged The Beatles’ first dates in Hamburg.

Session activities

The performances are sequentially numbered using the nomenclature from the book "Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image" by Doug Sulpy. DDSI 2.01 is, for example, the first performance from January 2nd, while DDSI 31.65 is the sixty-fifth performance from January 31st. This numbering is at times different from the DDSI numbers used on the bootleg collection "A/B Road Complete Get Back Sessions", likely because "Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image" was updated since the release of this collection.


  1. I Shall Be Released

    RecordingDDSI.22.01 2:14

    Performed by : George Harrison

  2. Improvisation

    RecordingDDSI.22.02 4:49

    Paul McCartney : Drums, Vocals

  3. Drum solo

    RecordingDDSI.22.03 2:01

    Paul McCartney : Drums

  4. Let It Down

    Written by George Harrison

    RecordingDDSI.22.04 3:40

    Performed by : Paul McCartneyGeorge Harrison

  5. Unknown

    RecordingDDSI.22.05 1:58

    Performed by : John LennonGeorge Harrison

  6. Some Other Guy

    RecordingDDSI.22.06 1:13

    Performed by : John Lennon

  7. Unknown

    RecordingDDSI.22.07 1:25

    Performed by : John Lennon

  8. Johnny B Goode

    RecordingDDSI.22.08 2:48

    Performed by : John Lennon

  9. Don't Let Me Down

    RecordingDDSI.22.09 4:21

    Performed by : Ringo StarrJohn LennonGeorge Harrison

  10. I Shall Be Released

    RecordingDDSI.22.10 3:37

    Performed by : George Harrison

  11. Improvisation

    RecordingDDSI.22.11 1:29

    Performed by : Ringo StarrGeorge Harrison

  12. Improvisation

    RecordingDDSI.22.12 1:55

  13. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.13 0:22

  14. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.14 2:34

  15. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.15 4:41

  16. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.16 0:04

  17. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.17 3:59

  18. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.18 1:38

  19. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.19 3:14

  20. Going Up the Country

    Written by Alan Wilson

    RecordingDDSI.22.20 1:58

    Performed by : Paul McCartneyRingo Starr

    Film Included in Peter Jackson's film "The Beatles: Get Back", 2021

  21. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.21 5:06

    AlbumOfficially released on Anthology 3

  22. Improvisation

    RecordingDDSI.22.22 0:22

  23. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.23 5:34

  24. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.24 2:04

  25. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.25 2:35

  26. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.26 2:15

  27. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.27 0:37

  28. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.28 2:56

  29. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.29 4:04

  30. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.30 3:47

  31. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.31 5:05

  32. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.32 4:49

  33. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.33 4:35

  34. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.34 4:03

  35. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.35 2:46

  36. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.36 1:37

  37. The Long And Winding Road

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.37 1:03

    Performed by : Paul McCartney

  38. The Long And Winding Road

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.38 0:22

    Performed by : Paul McCartney

  39. The Long And Winding Road

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.39 1:42

    Performed by : Paul McCartney

  40. Improvisation

    RecordingDDSI.22.40 1:03

  41. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.41 3:00

  42. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.42 0:09

  43. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.43 6:47

  44. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.44 4:13

  45. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.45 2:05

  46. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.46 1:27

  47. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.47 5:48

  48. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.48 5:54

  49. A Taste of Honey

    RecordingDDSI.22.49 0:14

    Performed by : George Harrison

  50. Improvisation

    RecordingDDSI.22.50 1:05

  51. Oh! Darling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.51 1:46

    Performed by : Paul McCartney

  52. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.52 0:10

  53. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.53 0:13

  54. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.54 3:12

  55. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.55 2:53

  56. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.56 1:32

  57. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.57 1:56

  58. I'm Ready (aka Rocker)

    Written by Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Fats Domino, Al Lewis, Sylvester Bradford

    RecordingDDSI.22.58 0:45

    AlbumOfficially released on Let It Be (50th anniversary boxset)

  59. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.59 1:16 • Medley with "Save The Last Dance"

    Film Included in Peter Jackson's film "The Beatles: Get Back", 2021

    AlbumOfficially released on Let It Be (50th anniversary boxset)

  60. Save the Last Dance for Me

    Written by Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman

    RecordingDDSI.22.59 1:16 • Medley with "Don't Let Me Down"

    Film Included in Peter Jackson's film "The Beatles: Get Back", 2021

    AlbumOfficially released on Let It Be (50th anniversary boxset)

  61. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.60 4:05

  62. Improvisation

    RecordingDDSI.22.61 1:58

  63. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.62 1:09

  64. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.63 0:42

  65. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.64 4:23

  66. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.65 2:34

  67. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.66 1:11

  68. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.67 3:44

  69. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.68 4:07

  70. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.69 3:27

    AlbumOfficially released on Anthology 3

  71. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.70 4:39

  72. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.71 0:50

  73. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.72 0:30

  74. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.73 8:05

  75. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.74 4:39

  76. Carol

    RecordingDDSI.22.75 0:27

    Performed by : John LennonBilly Preston

  77. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.76 1:03

  78. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.77 3:45

  79. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.78 0:15

  80. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.79 0:22

  81. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.80 1:27

  82. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.81 0:22

  83. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.82 0:07

  84. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.83 0:11

  85. Don't Let Me Down

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.84 0:32

  86. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.85 0:19

  87. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.86 3:45

  88. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.87 1:20

  89. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.88 5:23

  90. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.89 1:56

  91. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.90 3:29

  92. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.91 0:37

  93. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.92 5:14

  94. I've Got A Feeling

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    RecordingDDSI.22.93 3:54

  95. Improvisation

    RecordingDDSI.22.94 2:28


Staff

Musicians

Production staff

Visitors


Going further

Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image - The Complete, Unauthorized Story of The Beatles' 'Get Back' Sessions

The definitive guide to the Get Back sessions, released in 1994 and updated in 2007. In the author's own words:

New, completely revised edition! This new volume isn t just a compilation of material from the 1994 book Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image (also later published as 'Get Back') and 'The 910's Guide To The Beatles Outtakes Part Two: The Complete Get Back Sessions' (2001). I've re-listened to the entire canon of available Get Back session tapes, come up with a bunch of new conclusions (and even a handful of new identifications!), and pretty much re-written half the book from scratch. In addition, great effort has been made to improve readability of the book. Songs have now been put into groups (generally by Nagra reel, or series of them), rather than describing each performance separately, as was done in the original. In every way, this is the book we wished we could have written in 1994.

As the paperback version is out of print, you can buy a PDF version on the author's website

Buy on Amazon

If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.

Read more on The Beatles Bible

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