Feb 22 - Aug 25, 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Abbey Road
Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road • London • UK
Session Apr 30, 1969 • Recording and mixing "Let It Be", "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)"
Session May 01, 1969 • Mixing "Oh! Darling"
Session May 02, 1969 • Recording "Something"
Article May 04, 1969 • Paul McCartney joins party to celebrate the completion of "The Magic Christian" film
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Abbey Road" LP
By The Beatles
On April 16, 1969, The Beatles recorded 13 instrumental takes of the backing track for George Harrison’s “Something“. However, on this day, in a session lasting from 7 pm to 3:40 am (with a break from 11 pm to 1 am), they decided to start over from scratch.
They recorded 36 new takes — renumbered from Take 1 — with George on electric guitar (recorded on track three for Takes 1–8, and on tracks three and nine from Take 9 onward), Paul McCartney on bass (track one), John Lennon on piano (track four), and Ringo Starr on drums (track two).
From take nine onwards, two outputs were taken from George’s guitar; the new one, recorded on track six of the eight-track tape, was the sound of it coming through a rotating Leslie speaker. In take 27, once the song had ended, John led the group into a coda based on a repetitive riff he played on piano. Each time The Beatles fell into that jam, the tape was stopped after a few seconds – except for take 36, the final one used for the master, when it continued rolling for nearly five minutes.
From “Abbey Road” Super Deluxe edition book (2019)
Take 36 was considered the best and ran a full 7 minutes and 48 seconds — significantly longer than the 3-minute version that would appear on “Abbey Road.” The original instrumental coda was gradually shortened and ultimately dropped during the mixing session on August 19, 1969.
An organ part, played by guest musician Billy Preston, was then overdubbed onto Take 36.
Work on take 36 resumed on May 5.
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Remake - Take 1
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 2
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 3
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 4
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 5
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 6
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 7
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 8
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 9
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Recording • Take 10
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 11
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Recording • Take 12
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 13
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 14
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 15
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 16
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 17
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 18
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 19
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 20
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 21
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 22
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 23
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 24
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Recording • Take 25
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 26
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 27
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Recording • Take 28
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Recording • Take 29
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 30
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Recording • Take 31
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Recording • Take 32
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 33
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 34
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 35
Written by George Harrison
Recording • Take 36
Written by George Harrison
Recording • SI onto Take 36
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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