Recording "I Me Mine" for the "Get Back" album (4th compilation)

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The last time the four Beatles were together in a recording studio was on August 20, 1969. A month later, on September 20, John Lennon announced to the other Beatles that he was leaving the band.

But, on this day (and the day after), Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were back at Abbey Road to work on the still unreleased “Get Back” album and record George’s song “I Me Mine“. John Lennon was on holiday in Denmark at the time.

On January 8, 1969, during the “Get Back” sessions at Twickenham, George was filmed playing “I Me Mine” on acoustic guitar to Ringo. After that, the song had not been worked on at all during the later sessions at Apple Studios. As director Michael Lindsay-Hogg had decided to include George playing “I Me Mine” in the upcoming documentary about those sessions, it was decided that the song had to appear on the accompanying album and needed to be properly recorded.

During this session which lasted from 2:30 pm to 12:15 am, the three Beatles recorded sixteen takes of the basic track of “I Me Mine“, with George on acoustic guitar (track 4) and guide vocal (track 7), Paul on bass (track 3) and Ringo on drums (tracks 1 and 2).

Between take 6 and 7, they relaxed and performed an instrumental jam.

Before take 11, they went through a brief cover of The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie” (released on the “Let It Be” 50th anniversary boxset in 2021, along with take 11). And before take 12, George led the two others through a version of Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue Got Married“.

Before take 15, George invented and declaimed a mock press statement in reference to John’s absence:

George: You all will have read that Dave Dee is no longer with us. But Mickey and Tich and I would just like to carry on the good work that’s always gone down in number two.

Paul: What Dozy says goes for me and Tich!

This remark made reference to the English beat band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, and the recent press announcement (in September 1969) that Dave Dee was leaving the band.

The last take, Take 16, was considered to be the best, and they added overdubs onto it. From beatlesebooks.com:

First off, Ringo’s drums from tracks 1 and 2 were combined onto track 8, Paul recording an electric piano part onto track 1 and George recording an electric guitar part onto track 2. Onto track 5, George and Paul performed acoustic guitar licks simultaneously with George adding yet another lead guitar part in places where the acoustic guitars were not heard. Onto track 6, Paul performed an impressive Hammond organ part, while George’s lead vocals were recorded onto track 7 along with Paul’s harmony during the “I-I-I-me-me-mine” section (documented as the “bop piece”). One final overdub was performed on this day, this being George double-tracking his final lyric “All through your life, I me mine” onto track 2 where no lead guitar work was present. Interestingly, photographic evidence from this day shows George playing John’s Epiphone Casino guitar in his absence, this quite possibly being the electric guitar used on this recording.

This take 16 including overdubs was released on “Anthology 3” in 1996 and also included the mock press statement invented by George:

Pre-take 15 and take 16. A quick run-through of George Harrison’s I Me Mine (shot in early January 1969 during the Twickenham rehearsal period of the Get Back project) was set for inclusion in the Let It Be film, indicating that it also should feature on the accompanying album. But as the song had never been committed to tape with any serious endeavour the Beatles convened again in number two studio at EMI – some five months after completing final album Abbey Road – and recorded their last new piece together. (The word “new” is an important qualifier, for work polishing up previously recorded material for Let It Be continued through to April.) But not all of the Beatles participated: John Lennon was on holiday, his absence prompting a telling remark – like a mock press statement – from George during the session, which precedes this Anthology recording.

From the liner notes of “Anthology 3”

Proper mixing would be done by Glyn Johns on January 5. At this stage, “I Me Mine” lasted 1’34”. It would be 51-seconds longer when released on the “Let It Be” album, after having been re-edited and re-produced by Phil Spector.

Last updated on January 12, 2022

Songs recorded

Staff

Musicians on "I Me Mine"

Paul McCartney:

Bass, Harmony vocals, Electric piano, Acoustic guitar, Hammond organ

Ringo Starr:

Drums

George Harrison:

Harmony vocals, Acoustic guitar, Vocals, Eletric guitar

Production staff

George Martin:

Producer

Phil McDonald:

Engineer

Richard Langham:

Second engineer