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- Album Songs recorded during this session officially appear on the Abbey Road LP.
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Timeline
More from year 1969
Some songs from this session appear on:
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About
On July 1, 1969, John Lennon was on holiday in Scotland and got involved in a car accident along with his wife Yoko, his son Julian, and Yoko’s daughter, Kyoko. He was hospitalised and stayed at this hospital till July 6. He would rejoin The Beatles’ sessions on July 9, missing five days of work.
On this day, Paul McCartney was the first one to arrive at the studio at 3 pm. Waiting for George Harrison and Ringo Starr, he decided to record “Her Majesty“, the 23-second track which would end up the “Abbey Road” album.
Paul had demoed “Her Majesty” during the “Get Back” sessions, on January 9 and January 24. On this day, he recorded three complete takes of it, playing acoustic guitar and singing. Take three was deemed the best. The three takes were released on the “Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)” in 2019.
[The Beatles] hadn’t got a tape op, and Allan Stagge, then studio manager, called me to his office to ask if I might like to help out. He said that he wouldn’t pressurize me into doing it. I was extremely nervous on the session and my mind went completely blank. Paul sat down and did ‘Her Majesty’ and I couldn’t for the life of me think how to spell Majesty on the tape box. I rang upstairs, all around the building, asking people how to spell Majesty!
Chris Blair – Second engineer – From “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn
Once George and Ringo arrived, the three Beatles began work on “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight“.
Like “Her Majesty“, those two songs had been rehearsed during the “Get Back” sessions in January 1969. If “Carry That Weight” was considered as a standalone song when first played on January 6, Paul changed his mind the day after, attaching it to another song fragment, “Golden Slumbers“.
On this day, they recorded “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight” as one track (under the working title “Golden Slumbers” even if, on the “Abbey Road” LP, the two names would be mentioned).
They recorded 15 takes of the backing track, with Paul on piano (track three) and guide vocal (track eight), George on bass (track two) and Ringo on drums (take one).
Takes 1 to 3 were incomplete takes and were included on the “Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)” in 2019.
The session ended at 9:30 pm, and work on “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight” would continue the following day.
Last updated on December 23, 2021
Songs recorded
1.
Recording • Take 1
Album Officially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
2.
Recording • Take 2
Album Officially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
3.
Recording • Take 3
Album Officially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
4.
Recording • Take 1
Album Officially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
5.
Recording • Take 2
Album Officially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
6.
Recording • Take 3
Album Officially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Recording • Takes 1-15 (recorded along with "Golden Slumbers" as one track, under the working title "Golden Slumbers")
Staff
Musicians on "Carry That Weight"
Musicians on "Golden Slumbers"
Musicians on "Her Majesty"
- Paul McCartney:
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
Production staff
Going further
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!
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 like to think, in all modesty, that the Paul McCartney Project is the best online ressource for everything Paul McCartney, The Beatles Bible is for sure the definitive online site focused on the Beatles. There are obviously some overlap in terms of content between the two sites, but also some major differences in terms of approach.
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