Thursday, July 3, 1969
Recording "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight"
For The Beatles
Last updated on April 5, 2025
Thursday, July 3, 1969
For The Beatles
Last updated on April 5, 2025
Feb 22 - Aug 25, 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Abbey Road
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road • London • UK
Album Jul 01, 1969 • "Battersea Rain Dance" by The Chris Barber Band released in the UK
Session Jul 02, 1969 • Recording "Her Majesty", "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight"
Session Jul 03, 1969 • Recording "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight"
Session Jul 04, 1969 • Recording "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight"
Article Jul 05, 1969 • Paul McCartney attends The Rolling Stones' concert in Hyde Park
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Abbey Road" LP
John Lennon was on holiday in Scotland when he was involved in a car accident along with his wife Yoko, his son Julian, and Yoko’s daughter, Kyoko. He was hospitalized on this day and would remain there until July 6, rejoining The Beatles’ sessions on July 9 — missing five days of work.
On this day, the three other Beatles — George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney — continued work on “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight.” The session began at 3 pm, with the first task being to edit together take 13 and take 15, both recorded the previous day, to create a satisfactory basic track. The resulting edit retained the designation Take 13.
With the basic track complete, they moved on to recording overdubs. George added a lead guitar part, while Paul contributed rhythm guitar. Ringo recorded a new drum track and Paul also laid down his lead vocals. Paul and Ringo added additional vocals together for the chorus of “Carry That Weight.”
As all eight tracks on the tape were now in use, two reduction mixes — numbered takes 16 and 17 — were created to free up space for additional overdubs.
The session concluded at 8:30 pm. Work on “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight” continued on the following day.
I remember trying to get a very strong vocal on [Golden Slumbers], because it was such a gentle theme, so I worked on the strength of the vocal on it, and ended up quite pleased with it.
Paul McCartney – From “Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now” by Barry Miles, 1997
Editing • Editing of takes 13 and 15, called take 13
Recording • SI onto take 13
Tape copying • Tape reduction take 13 into take 16
Tape copying • Tape reduction take 13 into take 17
Recording • Recorded along with "Golden Slumbers" as one track, under the working title "Golden Slumbers"
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions • Mark Lewisohn
The definitive guide for every Beatles recording sessions from 1962 to 1970.
We owe a lot to Mark Lewisohn for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - the number of takes for each song, who contributed what, a description of the context and how each session went, various photographies... And an introductory interview with Paul McCartney!
The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 5: Let It Be through Abbey Road (1969 - 1970)
The fifth and final book of this critically acclaimed series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 5: Let It Be through Abbey Road (1969 - 1970)" follows The Beatles as they "get back to where they once belonged...". Not once, but twice. With "Let It Be", they attempted to recapture the spontaneity of their early years and recordings, while "Abbey Road" was a different kind of return - to the complexity, finish and polish that they had applied to their work beginning with "Revolver" and through to "The Beatles".
Solid State: The Story of "Abbey Road" and the End of the Beatles
Acclaimed Beatles historian Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account yet of the writing, recording, mixing, and reception of Abbey Road. In February 1969, the Beatles began working on what became their final album together. Abbey Road introduced a number of new techniques and technologies to the Beatles' sound, and included "Come Together," "Something," and "Here Comes the Sun," which all emerged as classics.
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.
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