Feb 22 - Aug 25, 1969 • Songs recorded during this session appear on Abbey Road
Recording studio: Olympic Sound Studios, London
Session May 02, 1969 • Recording "Something"
Article May 04, 1969 • Paul McCartney joins party to celebrate the completion of "The Magic Christian" film
Session May 05, 1969 • Recording "Something"
Single May 05, 1969 • "Get Back / Don't Let Me Down (US - Stereo)" by The Beatles released in the US
Session May 06, 1969 • Recording "You Never Give Me Your Money"
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Abbey Road" LP
By The Beatles
This marked the first of four days The Beatles spent at Olympic Sound Studios.
The backing track for George Harrison’s “Something” had been recorded on May 2, 1969, with the session ending as guest player Billy Preston overdubbed an organ part onto Take 36.
On this day, additional overdubs were added to that take. George recorded his guitar solo while John Lennon added a piano part (both on track five). Paul McCartney then re-recorded his bass line (on track one) — replacing the original.
Although Geoff Emerick did not engineer this session, he later mentioned it as if he was in the studio:
George was clearly still holding a grudge against Paul, and it seemed that he got some degree of revenge during the recording of ‘Something.’ I couldn’t help but notice that Harrison was actually giving Paul direction on how to play the bass, telling him repeatedly that he wanted the part greatly simplified. It was a first in all my years of working with The Beatles: George had never dared tell Paul what to do; he’d simply never asserted himself that way.
Geoff Emerick – From “Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles“, 2006
Work on “Something” would not resume until on July 11, 1969.
I think George thought my bass-playing was a little bit busy. Again, from my side, I was trying to contribute the best I could, but maybe it was his turn to tell me I was too busy. But that was fun; that went off well.
Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles Anthology” book, 2000
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!
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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