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Album This song officially appears on the McCartney LP.

Timeline This song has been officially released in 1970

Timeline This song has been written (or started being written) in 1970 (Paul McCartney was 28 years old)

Song facts

“Glasses” is a fragment of a 3-parts instrumental on the 1970 “McCartney” album – the two other parts being “Hot As Sun” and a very few seconds of “Suicide“.

Wineglasses played at random and overdubbed on top of each other – the end is a section of a song called Suicide – not yet completed.
Paul McCartney, from the press release of “McCartney”, April 1970

The title “Glasses” was fun as we ended up with a huge amount of glasses all filled with water on a big table in Number 3. All glasses were meticulously filled with water to the desired pitch of the song. It seemed a very personal and warm album to do at the time, and good fun.
Phil McDonald – Engineer – From “McCartney – Archive Collection” book, 2011

Paul McCartney revisited his wine glasses technique in 1995 and in 2005. In 1995, for the Oobu Joob radio program, he and Linda recorded an improvisation with Linda playing the wine glasses:

Inspired by Mozart’s ‘Glass Menagerie Music For Glass Harmonica‘, this bit was recorded “at the end of a rehearsal session.” In a new attempt at using a technique first heard on the McCartney LP, Linda plays wine glasses as Paul plays piano, trying to determine the key.
From “Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium” by Chip Madinger and Mark Easter

In 2005, in the PBS TV special Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road, Paul demonstrated how the technique works, using a 4-track Studer machine, recording two tracks of wine glasses, one track of harmonium, and a second track of harmonium while singing the lyrics of his 1973 hit “Band On The Run“.

From Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road, 2005

From the press release of “McCartney”, April 1970

Last updated on April 13, 2022

Officially appears on

LP • Released in 1970

0:29 • Studio version • A • Stereo • Medley with "Hot As Sun", "Suicide"

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon

McCartney (by DCC Compact Classics)

CD • Released in 1992

0:29 • Studio version • A1992 • Stereo • Medley with "Hot As Sun", "Suicide"

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Steve Hoffman :: Remastering

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon

McCartney (1993)

Official album • Released in 1993

0:29 • Studio version • A1993 • Stereo • Medley with "Hot As Sun", "Suicide"

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Peter Mew :: Remastering

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon

McCartney - Archive Collection

Official album • Released in 2011

0:29 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Medley with "Hot As Sun", "Suicide"

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Guy Massey :: Remastering

Steve Rooke :: Remastering

Simon Gibson :: Remastering

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

McCartney (Limited Red LP)

LP • Released in 2017

0:29 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Medley with "Hot As Sun", "Suicide"

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Guy Massey :: Remastering

Steve Rooke :: Remastering

Simon Gibson :: Remastering

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

McCartney (50th Anniversary)

Official album • Released in 2020

0:29 • Studio version • A2020 • Medley with "Hot As Sun", "Suicide"

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Miles Showell :: Mastering

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon

McCartney I II III Limited Edition Colour 3LP Box Set

LP • Released in 2022

0:29 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Medley with "Hot As Sun", "Suicide"

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Guy Massey :: Remastering

Steve Rooke :: Remastering

Simon Gibson :: Remastering

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

McCartney I II III Box Set

Official album • Released in 2022

0:29 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Medley with "Hot As Sun", "Suicide"

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Guy Massey :: Remastering

Steve Rooke :: Remastering

Simon Gibson :: Remastering

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Bootlegs

Studio Rarities Vol. 1

Unofficial album • Released in 2014

0:29 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Complete version of "Hot As Sun / Glasses / Suicide" medley

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Guy Massey :: Remastering

Steve Rooke :: Remastering

Simon Gibson :: Remastering

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

McCartney - Ultimate Archive Collection

Unofficial album • Released in 2015

0:29 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Medley with "Hot As Sun", "Suicide"

Paul McCartney :: Glasses, Piano, Producer, Recording engineer, Vocals

Phil McDonald :: Mixing engineer

Guy Massey :: Remastering

Steve Rooke :: Remastering

Simon Gibson :: Remastering

Session Recording:: Feb 21 to 25, 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:: Late February 1970

Studio :: EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Latest concerts where Glasses has been played

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

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