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Friday, May 2, 1969

Recording "Something"

For The Beatles

Last updated on December 28, 2021


Master session

Location

  • Recording studio: EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

Timeline

Master release

AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Abbey Road" LP

Some of the songs from this session also appear on:

On April 16, 1969, The Beatles had recorded 13 instrumental takes of the backing track of George Harrison’s “Something“. On this day, they decided to restart from scratch.

They recorded 36 takes (numbered from take 1) with George on electric guitar (track three), 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 deemed the best take and was 7’48” long (to be compared with the version of “Something” released on “Abbey Road” lasting 3’00”). The instrumental coda would be dropped in stages and finally disappeared when “Something” was mixed on August 19, 1969.

The first overdubs would be added onto take 36 on May 5.


Session activities

  1. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Remake - Take 1

  2. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 2

  3. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 3

  4. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 4

  5. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 5

  6. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 6

  7. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 7

  8. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 8

  9. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 9

  10. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 10

  11. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 11

  12. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 12

  13. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 13

  14. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 14

  15. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 15

  16. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 16

  17. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 17

  18. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 18

  19. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 19

  20. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 20

  21. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 21

  22. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 22

  23. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 23

  24. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 24

  25. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 25

  26. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 26

  27. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 27

  28. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 28

  29. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 29

  30. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 30

  31. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 31

  32. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 32

  33. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 33

  34. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 34

  35. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 35

  36. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 36


Staff

Musicians on "Something"

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!

Shop on Amazon

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.

Shop 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

Paul McCartney writing

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