Liner notes to a condensed "Get Back" box set

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MK
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Liner notes to a condensed "Get Back" box set

Postby MK » Tue May 24, 2005 2:54 pm

Hey,

I've been slowly sifting through a truckload of Get Back tracks downloaded from dimeadozen (all those torrents seem to be inactive once more, but who knows, they may pop back to life again some day). The idea was to make a good box set out of 40 maybe 50 discs of material, and right now it's down to 7 discs. I'm aiming for four.

I slapped together some liner notes to id each track and each day, also to preserve the memory of other tracks, etc. that I may not want to hear again, but I want to note to put everything in context.

I'm going to paste it below, and if you see any errors or anything, please let me know. About 90% of this, maybe 95%, is ripped off from several Beatles websites, one of which copied the text straight from Lewisohn's sessions book (which apparently is full of errors, but hopefully I've caught them all):

The Get Back Sessions

Twickenham Studios
Thu., 2 Jan 1969
Fri., 3 Jan 1969
Mon., 6 Jan 1969
Tue., 7 Jan 1969
Wed., 8 Jan 1969
Thu., 9 Jan 1969
Fri., 10 Jan 1969
Mon., 13 Jan 1969
Tue., 14 Jan 1969

Apple Studios, Savile Row
Tue,, 21 Jan 1969
Wed., 22 Jan 1969
Thu., 23 Jan 1969
Fri., 24 Jan 1969
Sat., 25 Jan 1969
Sun., 26 Jan 1969
Mon., 27 Jan 1969
Tue., 28 Jan 1969
Wed., 29 Jan 1969
Thu., 30 Jan 1969
Fri., 31 Jan 1969

Introduction

Recording sessions for The Beatles (informally known as The White Album) had proven to the group that they had entered a tense and difficult period. Though the album was greeted with critical acclaim upon its release in November of 1968, the group was still in something of a quandary.

They had ceased touring in the fall of 1966 to devote themselves exclusively to the technical intricacies of the recording studio, a self-indulgence that produced Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour. After their manager Brian Epstein died in August of 1967, Paul McCartney became the driving force behind the group.

Tensions during the recording of The Beatles had run so high that not only did their engineer, Geoff Emerick, bail temporarily, even Ringo quit the band for several days. The fact that they had done 101 takes of “Not Guilty,” a song by George Harrison which was not even included in the final release, indicates how caught-up they had become in the perfectionist allure of the multitrack studio environment. On the edge of crisis, Paul began urging his fellow Beatles to consider a return to the stage. He reasoned that it was music that had brought them together, and therefore they should "get back" to performing live.

The others weren't too keen on the idea, especially John and George, but they agreed to think about it. In fact, things progressed far enough for Paul to announce to the press that The Beatles would play three shows at the Roundhouse in London in mid-December 1968. But Paul just couldn't get the others on the same wavelength, and those plans had to be scrapped. As a compromise, Paul suggested that The Beatles could perform an eight-song/one-hour televised concert, either broadcast live or pre-taped, perhaps along the lines of the September 1968 "Hey Jude" promotional video shoot which everyone had enjoyed so much. John, George, and Ringo half-heartedly agreed, but even in the midst of agreeing John was suggesting that maybe it was time for the Beatles to call it a day and split up.

A lot of ideas were kicked around for a televised performance - they could play in a disused Thames-side flour mill, on board a ship, or from a stage in the middle of the Sahara desert. The most seriously considered suggestion was that they perform in a Roman ampitheatre in North Africa, starting at dawn in an empty venue and finishing with the arena filled with people of all races, colours and creeds. But the logistics were just too complex, and the vital unanimity which could have propelled the plan into reality could not be achieved; despite the pitching in of big ideas, none of the other Beatles was wholly enthusiastic about Paul's scheme.

Since there seemed to be a stalemate in choosing a suitable vehicle, Denis O'Dell suggested that the Beatles begin rehearsing and, perhaps, film those rehearsals on 16mm for a half-hour TV documentary showing the "Beatles At Work"; it would either accompany the concert performance or be shown a few days before or after. They all agreed to follow this advice, and to do the rehearsals/filming at Twickenham Film Studios in St. Margaret's, Twickenham, up to February 3, when The Magic Christian (for which O'Dell was also the producer) would go into production there.

So on January 2, the Beatles convened for the start of the Get Back enterprise, probably the most confusing and frustrating period in their entire career...

Thursday, January 2, 1969

Still uncertain as to what they were about to do, the Beatles meet at Twickenham on a cold and cheerless sound stage at the beginning of the new year. Michael Lindsay-Hogg is recruited as director for both the concert and documentary filming, the Beatles fill in as executive producers (having put up the money), Tony Richmond is hired as director of photography, and Paul invites Glyn Johns to oversee all aspects of sound (Geoff Emerick, the Beatles' engineer since Revolver, cannot participate in Get Back because he isn't in the filmmakers union like Johns).

Though Johns isn't given a title, he is, in effect, the sound producer. It's his task at Twickenham to solve any technical problems, ensure that the right balance is achieved and get the music and conversation down on tape - not multi-track as used in a recording studio, but quarter-inch two-track. (In fact, none of the Twickenham sessions are taped in the customary recording studio manner, and only one tiny speech ad-lib from the two weeks at Twickenham will be issued on the Let It Be record.)

On this day, John and George are the first to arrive, followed by Ringo. Around this time, Paul relies on public transportation to get around, and as a result, he's the last to arrive.

Old tensions and resentments eventually resurface - Yoko encroaching into the Beatles' domain, Paul bossing everyone around and telling George how to play, and on and on just like before - but today, everything flows at a casual pace.

It hasn't been long since the completion of The Beatles, and putting 30 songs on the double-Lp has fairly exhausted John, Paul and George's cache of unrecorded compositions. They have a few but the onset of a new project so soon forces some into the open before they can be honed and polished as would usually have been the case.

Nevertheless, John unveils two nearly completed songs, "Don’t Let Me Down" and "Everyone Had A Hard Year." When he first plays "Don't Let Me Down," he incorporates a guitar arrangement from "The Sun King," another composition that wouldn't reach fruition until later this year. As the group rehearses "Don't Let Me Down" for the first time, Paul takes an active role in re-arranging the song. John is very receptive to his input, as well as George's, and the song begins to take a more familiar form. "Everyone Had A Hard Year" will also receive a radical new arrangement: re-written with Paul, it will be re-titled as "I've Got A Feeling."

John also performs a solo rendition of "Child Of Nature" (incorrectly titled as "On The Road To Marrakesh" on various bootlegs): originally recorded for The Beatles, it's never seriously rehearsed at Twickenham and will have to wait until John's Imagine (1971) to see release - by then, it will be given a new set of lyrics and a new title, "Jealous Guy."

George presents two new songs of his own, "All Things Must Pass" and "Let It Down." Neither song is seriously rehearsed, and George barely has a chance to play them through once. However, it's obvious that George has been listening to Bob Dylan and the Band, most notably the 'Basement Tapes,' which has left a strong impression on him. Before the rehearsal gets underway, he sings a brief, solo rendition of "I Shall Be Released" and even guides the band into "Quinn The Eskimo" during rehearsals for "I've Got A Feeling" (a smooth transition for them since both songs share a similar rhythm and chord progression). Neither song is given a complete performance ("Quinn The Eskimo" clocks in under a minute).

At the end of the session, Paul teaches the band his own new song, "On Our Way Home" (later retitled "Two Of Us"), and performs a few solid takes with minimal backing.

When they're not rehearsing or learning new songs, the Beatles play a few random numbers, often spinning off a fragment or two. Chuck Berry's "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," John's "Revolution," Buddy Holly's "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" and "Well...All Right" are all heard in brief snippets lasting as little as three seconds to half a minute.

John takes the opportunity to complain vigorously about the impersonality of the setting, but overall, a slow but decent start to the project.

Friday, January 3, 1969

The Beatles spend a second day rehearsing and filming at Twickenham Film Studios. Paul arrives a bit early and passes the time in front of a piano. Both Ringo and George arrive on time, but John is late. This would set the pattern, more or less, for the remainder of the Twickenham sessions.

When the crew begins taping, Paul plays a fragment of a new song, "The Long And Winding Road." However, it's not clear if the song is even finished, because later that day, he doesn't bother to rehearse it with the band. He then plays fragments of two more new songs, "Oh! Darling" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." Neither song is used for Get Back or Let It Be; they will later be re-recorded for Abbey Road.

When Ringo arrives, he sits and watches as Paul plays a somber, if imperfect, rendition of Samuel Barber's "Adagio For Strings." Then in rapid succession, he spins off fragments of "Tea For Two Cha-Cha," "Chopsticks," an unknown, wordless melody, an improvised novelty about 'Torchy the Battery Boy,' Jerry Lee Lewis's "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," and another unknown number, none of which last past a minute. By now, George has arrived, and Paul takes the opportunity to play another new song, "Let It Be."

Ringo then takes his turn at the piano and plays "Taking A Trip To Carolina," a new song he's been working on. As Paul and George encourage Ringo with his songwriting, George plays a brief rendition of "Please, Mrs. Henry," another song written and recorded during Dylan and the Band's 'Basement Tapes' sessions.

It takes a while for rehearsal to get started; when John finally arrives, they waste time playing Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up," Carl Perkins's "True Love" and "Blue Suede Shoes," Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind," Little Richard's "Lucille," John's "I'm So Tired," Paul's "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," and the theme from The Third Man. The performances are sloppy, often clocking in well under a minute, but an old favorite, the Coasters' "Three Cool Cats," is given a complete, competent performance, and Bo Diddley's "Crackin' Up" is re-cast in a slow, funky new arrangement.

Eventually, the group gets around to rehearsing "Don't Let Me Down," at one point lapsing into a brief but jaunty rendition of the theme from The Third Man. The run through "I've Got A Feeling" a few times, growing more unfocused as they lapse into brief, casual renditions of Canned Heat's "Going Up The Country" and "On The Road Again" before unearthing one of their own songs, "The One After 909"; originally recorded in 1963, the Beatles never finished a complete take, and the song remained untouched until now.

They throw out a few more musical obscurities, the most notable being the sprightly "Because I Know You Love Me So," before meandering through Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me," John's "You Can't Do That," Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike," and Chan Romero's "Hippy Hippy Shake." (George sings surprisingly well on their otherwise sloppy rendition of "Hitch Hike," handing in a gritty yet soulful vocal.)

Eventually, they get around to rehearsing "On Our Way Home," which they're still learning. After several sloppy run-throughs, George briefly entertains himself by playing Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" on his acoustic guitar.

Lennon makes his boredom felt as the Beatles turn their attention to Harrison’s "All Things Must Pass." Both he and Paul run off a series of novelties and covers, including an amusing take on "Short Fat Fannie" and a dismal version of "Midnight Special." John also toys with an early version of "Gimme Some Truth," but even in its embryonic state, Paul is already familiar with it. John doesn't finish nor release "Gimme Some Truth" until Imagine.

George finally gets his chance to teach "All Things Must Pass" to the band. As he teaches the chords, Paul accompanies on bass (telling George to "go ahead, I'll follow you..."). After a few tentative run-throughs, George decides it would be better if he switched from an electric guitar to an acoustic guitar and does so. As George continues to teach them the chords, he shocks himself on a microphone. This leads to an amusing episode, and things grind to a halt as the engineers investigate.

They pick up where they left off, with George singing a beautiful vocal even as they're still practicing the song, Eventually, Paul and John sing back-up harmonies for George, but they have trouble hitting the right notes. As he discusses his song with John and Paul, George talks about the Band. As Rob Bowman writes in The All-Music Guide, with the Band, "there [is] a lot of harmony singing that [is] deliberately ragged: together but not together, a community where the people that [make] up the community [can] be individuals." It's George's hope to emulate this quality for "All Things Must Pass," to make it "Band-y." Unfortunately, Paul struggles with his harmony vocal, sabotaging take after take, but there are a few brief moments where things do fall beautifully into place.

Later, their longtime friend and roadie, Mal Evans, interrupts a take, telling Paul that EMI can't lend them an 8-track machine and can only lend them a 4-track mobile. As the others finish their run-through, Paul tells Mal it's "bullshit." Paul says EMI moved it out to the Beach Boys; he knows this because he had to use the studio the night they moved it out, and that was the excuse they gave. Determined to get the best console possible, the group discusses other alternative, possibly using their own, personal 8-track machines. Paul and George also complain about EMI's stinginess; George in particular finds it very aggravating, considering how many records they've sold and how much money they've made for them.

Eventually, they discuss the details of their planned live performance. The discussion is brief, but when Paul plays a few bars of "Back In The USSR," George makes a novel suggestion for a planned setlist: "Every Little Thing," an obscure gem from their fourth album, Beatles For Sale (1964). George follows this with a brief, solo rendition of Big Brother & Holding Company's "Piece Of My Heart," while John plays a few bars from Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance."

At the end of the session, Paul teaches a new song, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," to the band. A jaunty but irritating novelty song, the last few run-throughs experiment with an ill-conceived half-time introduction that's quickly discarded by the next session.

Before they leave, the band has one more discussion about obtaining an 8-track recorder; if they can't get one from EMI, they still have three at their disposal, including personal 8-track machines owned by John and George.

Meanwhile, over in the United States in Newark, New Jersey, police seize 30,000 copies of John and Yoko's LP Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, declaring that the album cover, which has photos of John and Yoko nude, is pornographic. In Chicago, Illinois, vice squad officers close down a record shop for displaying the cover.

Monday, January 6, 1969

After a weekend of rest, the Beatles struggle through a third day of filming at Twickenham. Without any clear direction, and an uncomfortable sound stage, nothing much gels and resentments flare up again and again.

The day begins with Paul arriving early and talking with director Michael Lindsay-Hogg about the film. When Ringo arrives, Paul and Hogg greet him heartily, but he's apparently coming down with a cold. After George arrives, Hogg mentions some ideas, but George half-joking suggests they "forget the whole thing."

As they wait for John, Paul passes the time practicing "Oh! Darling" and "I've Got A Feeling" on the piano, with brief renditions of the Four Seasons' "C'mon Marianne" and Jerry Lee Lewis's "High School Confidential" in between.

As George warms up on his acoustic guitar, he runs through his own part from "I've Got A Feeling," apparently without any accompaniment. He then plays a gorgeous, new tune on his guitar, "Hear Me Lord," which goes virtually unnoticed by the others. Unfortunately, this song won't be released until George's debut solo album (not counting his soundtrack work) All Things Must Pass.

George also plays a small excerpt from another new song, "George's Blues" (later retitled "For You Blue"), but it's impossible to tell if he's still working on the song or if he's already completed it and merely using part of it to warm-up. As he plays his guitar, they discuss a then-trusted friend of the Beatles, Alexis Mardas. Nicknamed "Magic Alex," he was asked by the Beatles to install their recording studio on Savile Row. Mardas promised the impossible, including an invisible 'force field' that would stop leakage from Ringo's drum sound into other microphones.

Paul plays some brief fragments of another new song, "Carry That Weight," which would ultimately appear on Abbey Road, but at this early stage, it's certainly a work-in-progress. When John arrives, the group spends much of their time jamming. Though they were never great improvisers, either on stage or in the studio, they actually do a fine job, despite the casual nature of their playing; most notable is an extended jam of "The Castle Of The King Of The Birds," one of Paul's compositions which he would later revisit in his solo career.

Unfortunately, after half-an-hour of jamming, the session really starts to lag. The rehearsals meander along before the band breaks to discuss the direction of their project. Lennon remains silent throughout, leaving Yoko to make increasingly bizarre suggestions on his behalf. While Paul, George and Ringo debate the size of the audience they should perform to, Yoko's ideas are less conventional. She suggests they play only to members of the royal family or perhaps be filmed performing in their homes rather than in public.

By the time they regain their focus, half the day has already been wasted. They rehearse through "Don't Let Me Down," with little creative input from John. "On Our Way Home" follows, and things soon reach a breaking point between Paul and George. George is fed up with Paul's direction, and their row is ultimately seen in the final film, Let It Be (which premieres in April of 1970).

Paul grows a bit more sensitive towards George's feelings, and when they next rehearse "All Things Must Pass," Paul tries to be more encouraging with his creative input. The last song they rehearse is a new song from Paul, "Bathroom Window" (later named "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"), which is ultimately recorded for Abbey Road, but for now, Paul teaches it to the band. Much slower and low-key than the version found on Abbey Road, Paul would use this same arrangement for the remainder of the Get Back sessions before abandoning it altogether.

Tuesday, January 7, 1969

The Get Back project isn't getting anywhere as the rehearsals deteriorate further. The playing grows more erratic and unfocused, as the first hour and a half is lost to aimless jamming and song fragments played with little discipline or enthusiasm. When they finally get back on schedule, they rehearse "I've Got A Feeling," but make little if any progress.

During long arguments with Paul, George suggests that the Beatles should split up ("Maybe we should have a divorce...") while John says nothing. The group then rehearses "Maxwell’s Silver Hammer," complete with new whistle arrangement, before moving on to "Across The Universe." Unfortunately, John is unable to recall the words to his own song, and the session slows down to a crawl. (It's worth noting that John was using heroin at this time. He finally broke his habit later in the year, but not before the end of the Get Back sessions.)

Run-throughs of "The One After 909" and "Don't Let Me Down" seem pointless. The session falls apart as they waste half-an-hour, playing with no direction. Paul runs through "Bathroom Window" a few times before calling it a day.

Wednesday, January 8, 1969

The Beatles spend another day at Twickenham rehearsing. By now, George has really become disillusioned, as he half-heartedly unveils a new song, "I Me Mine."

As they get ready to play, someone (presumably John) sits at the piano and plays some familiar chords. It's impossible to tell, but it may very well be the start of "Imagine," albeit at a primordial stage.

When they start playing, John and Paul seem to be in better spirits, particularly when they play a spirited versions of "On Our Way Home" and "I've Got A Feeling" (only one take of each song has surfaced from this day; whether more were played is unknown).

Eventually, they band begins rehearsal of "All Things Must Pass," but neither John nor Paul seem to project much enthusiasm for George's song. Though a suitable, 'Band-y' arrangement is in place, neither one sings particularly well, and despite George's best efforts, a satisfactory performance is never recorded.

Next, the band rehearses "Bathroom Window." Paul and John continue to sound jovial, lacking a bit in seriousness, just as they were at the beginning of the session. By now, the band seems to have learned the song, but little changes in terms of arrangement.

They rehearse "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" a number of times before moving on to "I Me Mine." They rehearse it quite extensively, but they fail to record a decent performance. The song fails to create much excitement, and John in particular is less than enthused about it.

The final song to be rehearsed is a new one by Paul, "The Long And Winding Road." Though he played excerpts of it on previous days, this is the first time he's played it with the band. A limited amount of work is done to it before they call it day. Before he leaves, Paul plays a brief excerpt of "Let It Be," which has yet to be rehearsed.

The Beatles plan their concert with Hogg, presenting various ideas for a venue, but nothing is decided. When a boat is suggested as a venue, George says it's "completely insane," pointing out that it would be very expensive.

Thursday, January 9, 1969

The Beatles reconvene at Twickenham for another dreary day. The earliest recording made this day is of Paul playing a short ditty on the piano. He will later develop this into a song, "Another Day," which becomes a hit single for him in 1971.

The band rehearses "George's Blues" for the very first time, followed by "On Our Way Home." John's inability to remember the words or the arrangements hampers them a bit, and in the midst of the chaos, they improvise an inconsequential 12-bar blues number called "Suzy Parker." This sets the tone for the rest of the day, where every other take is done in jest, often punctuated with jokes. "I've Got A Feeling," "The One After 909," and "Bathroom Window" follow.

The jokes grow riskier when the Beatles rehearse "Get Back," and Paul adds some new words to the song. Enoch Powell had recently caused an uproar by claiming that Britain would be running in a “river of blood” if the current immigration levels were allowed to continue. This promptly got him demoted from his post, and booted out of the Tory Shadow Cabinet. In response to Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech, Paul makes references to “Pakistanis taking all the people's jobs.” Though it's clearly done in jest, Paul later becomes worried that his satire will be taken the wrong way. This will prompt him to tone it down, retaining only the chorus, but this won't stop the papers from accusing Paul of racism in the late 1980's when the rehearsal tapes begin to circulate. (Some bootlegs incorrectly identify one of these takes as "No Pakistanis.")

The next song to be rehearsed is "Across The Universe," but once again, the song fails to gel. John and Paul try singing a two-part harmony, but it sounds absolutely dreadful. George's blunt assessment ("I don't like the harmony...") isn't taken seriously, but then again, neither is the song - like the other songs recorded this day, John and Paul sing it for laughs.

The group then improvises a novelty song, "Commonwealth." where Paul sings: “if you don't want trouble then you better go back home," urging immigrants to 'get back' to where they came from. Once again, it's merely satire, and it's quickly followed by a strange but amusing ode to "Enoch Powell." The jokes wear thin and the session falls apart as the performances devolve into "Get Off!," an aimless, 'white power' jam session.

After a few run-throughs of "George's Blues," the band apparently takees a break, leaving George to play a few solo tunes on his acoustic guitar. "Ramblin' Woman," Dylan's "I Threw It All Away," and "Mama, You Been On My Mind" all receive loving if brief treatments. At the end of the day, Paul performs solo renditions of "Let It Be" for the band. A full-band arrangement has yet to be made, but the song itself is nearly complete.

Friday, January 10, 1969

As Paul practices on the piano, the others arrive and casually talk with one another. (Paul is heard only in the background on currently circulating tapes.) George and Ringo mention 'Magic' Alex, who's working on their new studio, prompting Hogg to mention a new copy-protection device. This leads to a discussion on pirating music (cassette recorders were recently introduced, sparking a new controversy in home recording). As John and Yoko arrive, they all have a smoke.

They begin the rehearsals with extensive work on "Get Back." The group rips through one take after another, sometimes forgetting the words but gaining momentum with each take as they work out a new, pile-driving arrangement.

However, George catches everyone by surprise when he announces he's quitting the band. At lunchtime, he quietly walks up to John, Paul, and Ringo and tells them, "I'm leaving the band now." John asks, "When?" George says, "Now." Reportedly, he tells them, "See you 'round the clubs." George makes some suggestions regarding a replacement, and no one tries to stop him as he gets into his car and drives to his home in Esher and then, according to published reports, journeys north to see his parents for a few days.

After lunchtime John, Paul, and Ringo resume rehearsals. John's mood seems to be lightened by George’s departure. Yoko, sitting on George's blue cushion, begins to scream painfully while John, Paul, and Ringo play an excerpt of the Who's "A Quick One While He's Away," which quickly devolves into an intense, sustained jam, overwhelming the studio in feedback. Things cool down a bit when they start riffing over Elmore James's "One Way Out." During the break, John and Yoko talk to a fan about Two Virgins and avante-garde music, particularly Stockhausen and John Cage.

As Paul plays "Martha My Dear" on the piano, Hogg discusses George's departure with George Martin and Neil Aspinall; Hogg wonders if it will be difficult for George to return considering how he left. John steps in, suggesting they get Eric Clapton to fill in.

When they discuss the live show and how to handle George's potential absence, Hogg suggests telling people that George is sick, while John reiterates his suggestion regarding Clapton. Soon, Yoko interrupts, screaming John's name over and over again. It becomes very distracting, particularly to John, who's still talking to Hogg.

The atmosphere grows more surreal as Paul continues to play, at times pounding the notes, while Yoko continues 'singing' with the music.

Later, John and Yoko jam together, with one person on guitar and another on drums (it's unknown if Paul is participating, but it's doubtful; Ringo sits out). Yoko reverts back to her trademark vocalizing, the kind which would eventually inspire the B-52's years later. The cacophony prompts Ringo to comment on the proceedings.

At the end of the day, little is accomplished, as George's departure pretty much derails the project.

Sunday, January 12, 1969

Reportedly, all four Beatles gather at Ringo Starr’s house to discuss their problems; the feud between Harrison and Lennon remains intractable. Meanwhile, The motion picture Wonderwall, which features George Harrison's musical score, premieres in London.

Monday, January 13, 1969

What is the absolute low point of the Twickenham sessions, the Beatles return to the film studio without George. When the rehearsal is scheduled to begin, only Ringo is present. As Mal Evans contacts the others, Ringo passes the time, talking with director Lindsay-Hogg; they discuss everything from Ringo's acting career to the Los Angeles area to what will be shown in the documentary. Eventually, Paul shows up with Linda Eastman. As they wait for John, the four of them talk about the Foundations' "Build Me Up, Buttercup" as well as Simon & Garfunkel's early career as Tom & Jerry (Linda recalls their early hit, "Hey Little Schoolgirl"), the late Alan Freed's influential Moondog radio show (which Linda remembers with great enthusiasm), the unfortunate end to Freed's career, and even Murray the K (as their radio appearances became more popular, Ringo recalls the station giving Murray less and less air-time until all he did was introduce the band before letting them talk most of the time).

Eventually, the tedium gets the best of them, and their conversation devolves into long awkward silences and frustrated sighs. The wearisome nature of the project is hinted at when Paul says, "I was just wondering, what am I going to do tomorrow?" Ringo replies with a plan to rest, which is met with some non-verbal commiseration from Paul and Linda.

A lot of time is then spent discussing John, particularly Yoko's impact on the group, and everyone, including Linda, makes their opinions known. Finally, there's some discussion on how the project's live performance will be filmed, first between Paul and Lindsay-Hogg, then between Linda and Lindsay-Hogg, with Linda discussing her experiences as a rock photographer.

Lennon finally makes an appearance at lunch; as always, Yoko is with him. However, the conversation now centers around George, with Lennon making some frank observations on how they, including himself, have mistreated George. (Unfortunately, the only available recording of this conversation, known as the 'lunch tape,' circulates in a very poor copy. Much of the tape is barely audible.)

After lunch, the three of them run through "Get Back" a number of times before calling it a day.

Meanwhile, the Beatles soundtrack Lp Yellow Submarine (Apple) is released in the U.S. 24 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #2.

Tuesday, January 14, 1969

The Beatles, still without George, rehearse at Twickenham for the ever-more-nebulous Get Back project. They perform songs more or less at random. Once again, Paul is the first to arrive and passes the time, playing random bits on the piano (including excerpts of the Rolling Stones' "Lady Jane" from After-Math and "Martha My Dear" from The Beatles). As he's playing, he talks and jokes with others around him. Later, Ringo arrives and chats with Paul, who continues to play at the piano.

At one point, they discuss something on the radio and Lindsay-Hogg brings up Johnny Cash. Everyone's a fan, and Paul and Ringo discuss Cash's At Folsom Prison, a legendary live album recorded at Folsom Prison and released in 1967. Paul in particular discusses Cash's performance of "Cocaine Blues," giving a brief, psychotic, cartoonish performance as they talk about the unsettling nature of the song and the venue (the audience reaction, Cash's crack about 'tin cups'). Paul then plays an embryonic version of "The Back Seat Of My Car," another new song he would complete for his second solo album, Ram (1971). The crew then interrupts them with their work, and as they get out of their way,

John arrives with Yoko. He later complains that he took too many drugs the night before and hasn’t been to bed, but for now, John chats with the others. Legendary actor Peter Sellers pays the band a visit, which delays their rehearsal further. Their conversation is very subdued, with John quoting random lyrics from oldie tunes such as Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti." Their shared drug habit comes up just before Sellers leaves.

John, sounding tired and wasted, cracks one joke after another, but answers seriously when Paul asks him about the meaning behind Two Virgins. Ringo reveals he's feeling a bit ill, but downplays the significance of it. Eventually, their discussion devolves into nonsensical phrases being tossed back and forth between John, Paul, and soon Ringo. Having wasted enough time, Paul then makes it clear that they can't carry on like this indefinitely. The three begin to set up, with Paul once again inquiring Ringo about his illness, and after Ringo reassures them of his health, John leads the three-man Beatles through a medley of two new songs-in-progress: "Madman (Mean Mr. Mustard)" and "Watching Rainbows."

Neither song is rehearsed again, at least not with any seriousness, but the former is later developed for Abbey Road while the latter remains unreleased. They manage only one decent take of "Watching Rainbows," but it's a fine one, with some nice jamming at the end.

At the end of the day, John hears Paul telling Lindsay-Hogg that they're all going to see George tomorrow. John then asks if they're going to meet at Twickenham later or beforehand, but Paul tells them they should stop filming now until they get things straightened out.

Wednesday, January 15, 1969

No session takes place at Twickenham. George Harrison returns to London and has a five-hour meeting with John, Paul, and Ringo. Although he and Lennon make peace, George makes it clear that he is fully prepared to quit for good if certain conditions aren't met. All the talk about live performances must stop, and the sessions must be geared towards recording an album as an album, not as a sidelight to a film project. This would allow them to cease the Twickenham rehearsals and switch location to their own brand-new basement recording studio, Apple Studios. The other Beatles accepted George’s conditions, and the footage shot at Twickenham for a Beatles At Work TV production turned instead into the start of a feature-film idea to be called - like the album they'd be making - Get Back.

Thursday, January 16, 1969

In today’s edition of Disc and Music Echo, John Lennon is quoted as saying that Apple is losing vast quantities of money, and that the Beatles are in danger of going bankrupt unless the situation is reversed. Allen Klein reads the story with interest.

Friday, January 17, 1969

UK release of Beatles Lp Yellow Submarine (Apple). Highest chart position: #3.

Saturday, January 18, 1969

George Harrison, furious with John Lennon for making public statements about the group's finances, argues with John so fiercely that the two nearly come to blows.

Meanwhile, Pete Best wins his defamation suit against the Beatles. He had sought eight million dollars, but won considerably less.

Monday, January 20, 1969

The Beatles meet at Apple Studios, their new recording studio on Savile Row, to resume recording on Get Back. Everything has been moved out of Twickenham, and the film crew is prepared to shoot at Apple. Unfortunately, the studio is not ready, and the session is cancelled. The delay is caused by Alexis Mardas, aka 'Magic Alex," who ran a subsidiary company for Apple Corps. called Apple Electronics. Asked by the Beatles to install their studio, Mardas promised miracles: EMI (Abbey Road) had only just expanded to eight-track recording, Apple would have 72- track. There would be no need to use those awkward studio "baffles" around Ringo to prevent leakage of his drum sound into the other microphones; Magic Alex would install an invisible sonic force-field which would do the work unobtrusively. 

Not surprisingly, it all worked out very differently, and the Beatles lose another day of work. Alex's mixing console is made of bits of wood and an old oscilloscope, and it looks like the control panel of a B-52 bomber. The Beatles make a sample recording, but when they played back the tape it was patently unusable. George Martin has to call EMI and ask for a temporary loan of two 4-track consoles to go with Apple's 8-track recorder.

Even prior to this, George Harrison realized the Heath Robinson nature of Apple's studio when he saw Mardas wandering around in a white coat, with a clipboard, muttering to himself and trying to place box-loads of tiny loudspeakers around the studio, one for each track. The Beatles terminate their relationship with Mardas, who's never heard from again.

Tuesday, January 21, 1969

It's unclear if Apple Studios is fully operational, but the Beatles meet there anyway. They spend the day learning a new song from John, "All I Want Is You" (later retitled "Dig A Pony"). John makes a remark at this session ("'I Dig A Pygmy' by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf-Aids...") that is later used by Phil Spector for the opening to Let It Be, the album.

Wednesday, January 22, 1969

Apple Studios is finally ready, and the Beatles resume work on Get Back. With rehearsals essentially over, the band makes a serious attempt to record usable performances.

As explained earlier, Glyn Johns - called Glynis Johns by John Lennon, after the British actress - is not merely the balance engineer, he is also an uncredited producer as George Martin's precise involvement remains unclear. Martin is heard on some of the Apple session tapes, but other times where the Beatles address Johns, one can assume that Martin was absent.

Johns' is not the only new face on these album sessions. Billy Preston is pulled into the studio when George Harrison sees him in the reception area at 3 Savile Row (John, Paul, and George knew Preston from 1962, when he was a member of Little Richard's backing group). He's persuaded to join in on the Get Back sessions in order to alleviate the tense atmosphere, and - since overdubbing was out - add a fifth instrument to the live sound. Preston will sit in on nearly all of the remaining Get Back sessions, for which he'll be paid 500 GBP.

The Beatles are determined to leave the studio effects and overdubs behind and record an album "live," flaws and all. Their intent becomes muddied when the Beatles find themselves doing take after take of "live" tracks in order to obtain one without flaws. On this day they run through "All I Want Is You," "I've Got a Feeling," "Don't Let Me Down," an instrumental named "Rocker," "Bathroom Window," and covers of other artists' songs. Billy Preston first appears playing electric piano as the Beatles work out the chord structure for "Bathroom Window."

Run-throughs of "I've Got A Feeling," "The Bathroom Window," and "All I Want Is You" will eventually be released on The Beatles Anthology 3 in 1996.

Due to the casual, unplanned nature of these sessions, it's impossible to catalog the recorded 'takes' of each song. In some instances, take numbers announced for the film crew were also used on the Apple tape boxes, so the first take of a new song might be announced as 'take 32.' Some sessions are too difficult to catalog at all, even briefly, and many tape boxes were left blank until Paul found the time and resolve to plough through them, writing brief notes on the labels.

Thursday, January 23, 1969

The Beatles (with Billy Preston) continue their work at Apple Studios, London: they record ten takes of "Get Back," all of which are rejected. Making his debut as the Beatles' tape operator on this session is Alan Parsons, later a top producer and creator of the commercially successful Alan Parsons Project.

Meanwhile, Cream's farewell LP Goodbye is released. On the album is the song "Badge," which was co-written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison. The song's instrumental section is used again by Harrison for his song "Here Comes the Sun." Harrison plays guitar on "Badge," using the pseudonym 'L'Angelo Misterioso.'

Friday, January 24, 1969

A particularly long day at Apple Studios, London, much time is spent on jamming. Lennon leads the group through an impromptu number called "Dig It," and at the end of one take, he makes a remark that is ultimately used for Get Back and Let It Be. Other songs recorded this day are: "On Our Way Home," "Teddy Boy" (which Paul will include on his first solo Lp McCartney), "Maggie Mae," and "Get Back." At one point, Paul plays an embryonic version of "Every Night," which will eventually be released on McCartney.

Neither "On Our Way Home" or "Get Back" are given good performances, and "Teddy Boy" fails to attract any enthusiasm from the group (when they do record it, John mockingly rattles off square dance calls). "Maggie Mae" and "Dig It" are purely novelties. Many years later, a recording of "On Our Way Home" and an 'edited' version of "Teddy Boy" are released on The Beatles Anthology 3.

Around this time, John reportedly attempts to persuade the others that Billy Preston should become a full-time member of the group, but Paul turns down this suggestion.

Saturday, January 25, 1969

Today's session at Apple Studios, London, is a bit more focused. John exhumes a song called "I Lost My Little Girl" from the early Lennon/McCartney songbook, and gives it a fine, 'singing-talking' vocal reminiscent of Lou Reed (though it's doubtful he's trying to emulate him ).

They record some more jamming, as well as ragged versions of the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love" and "Let It Be" (which still lacks a proper arrangement), but most of the day is spent on "George's Blues." They record a large number of fine takes, and ultimately complete the 'master,' but the song will not be completed until January 8, 1970 (by then, it'll be known as "For You Blue").

Years later, The Beatles Anthology 3 will feature an alternate take of "George's Blues" as well as an early take of "Let It Be" from this day's session.

Meanwhile, over in the United States, the sale of John and Yoko's Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins is banned in Union County, New Jersey, and in the city of Cleveland, Ohio (due to the pictures of John and Yoko naked on the front and the back of the album cover). Police in Mountainside, New Jersey, confiscate 20,000 copies of the album.

Sunday, January 26, 1969

George and Ringo are the first ones to arrive at Apple Studios. After telling a brief anecdote about Reprise Records (Frank Sinatra's label), George plays a few of his tunes on an acoustic guitar: "Isn't It A Pity," "Windows, Windows," and "Let It Down." "Isn't It A Pity," a new composition, is later recorded for All Things Must Pass, as is "Let It Down." "Windows, Windows" is short and sweet, a beautiful, catchy number that remains unreleased and possibly unfinished.

Ringo then stands in front of the piano and plays something for George, a song he's been working on called "Octopus's Garden." He only has the first few verses, and pretty soon George joins in, playing guitar and singing back-up as he helps Ringo with his song. George is very encouraging to Ringo, giving him advice on lyrics and arrangement, and as they continue to play, John and Yoko arrive. John doesn't interrupt, and even accompanies them on drums. All three continue to play until Paul arrives with Linda and Heather. (This entire sequence is later featured in the film, Let It Be.)

When they resume playing, everyone joins in and makes suggestions as they develop "Octopus's Garden" with Ringo. It still has a long way to go, but they make a good deal of progress with the song.

They listen to "For You Blue" (takes 6 & 7) and two takes of "Let It Be" from the previous day's work before spending the remainder of the day recording "Let It Be" and "The Long And Winding Road."

Full-band arrangements are now in place, but "Let It Be" is still a bit rusty. George hasn't trouble coming up with a guitar solo, and after many takes, they break into an impromptu jam of "Dig It." They improvise for twelve and a half minutes (50 seconds are later used on Let It Be, the album) before slipping into an extended rock 'n' roll medley, featuring "Rip It Up," "Shake, Rattle & Roll," "Kansas City," "Miss Ann," "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," "Blue Suede Shoes," and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me." This is followed by a brief version of "Tracks of My Tears" (mostly instrumental). They return briefly to "Let It Be" before recording "The Long and Winding Road."

John's bass-playing is often tentative and rather pedestrian, but otherwise, they record several good takes of "The Long And Winding Road," including one that ultimately becomes the 'master' - Phil Spector would later overdub this recording it with orchestration before including it on Let It Be.

Years later, "The Long and Winding Road" (before Phil Spector's overdubs) is released on The Beatles Anthology 3.

Monday, January 27, 1969

A suitable climax is needed for the film, so despite earlier promises to George, the Beatles plan on a live rooftop concert later that week; details are still begin worked out, but the concert is pretty much set for Apple's rooftop. No announcement is to be made to the public.

Meanwhile, the Beatles reconvene at Apple Studios where George unveils a new song, "Old Brown Shoe," but only plays a brief rendition. The Beatles listen to the previous day's work before formally starting the session.

George eventually plays them "Old Brown Shoe," but they spend most of their time on songs intended for the album.

"Oh! Darling" is performed a few times, but it's clear that it's not ready for release. During one performance (later released on The Beatles Anthology 3), John announces that Yoko's divorce has finally gone through, clearing another hurdle for the two's marriage plans.

Several run-throughs of "Let It Be" and "The Long And Winding Road" are recorded, and some time is devoted to "Don't Let Me Down" and "I've Got A Feeling," but most of the day is spent on "Get Back." They record dozens of takes, including one take that's ultimately deemed the 'master' - Glyn Johns would use this take for the upcoming single release (featuring a coda spliced in from the following day), and Phil Spector would alter this take for his version on Let It Be.

Towards the end of the session, the Beatles record an off-the-cuff performance of "The Walk," a Jimmy McCracklin hit that reached #5 on the American R&B charts in 1958. Glyn Johns later mixes the track in consideration for Get Back, but it's ultimately rejected and left in the vaults.

Tuesday, January 28, 1969

The Beatles reconvene at Apple Studios in anticipation of their upcoming rooftop concert, which will take place on Thursday. John is late yet again, but unbeknownst to the other Beatles, he and Yoko were actually meeting Allen Klein for the first time at London's Dorchester Hotel, hence their tardiness. Despite his awareness of Klein’s unscrupulous reputation (firsthand knowledge which he picked up from the manager’s previous clients, the Rolling Stones), John will later hire Klein to handle his business and financial affairs.

They already have an excellent take of "Get Back" from the previous day's work (they even listen to it at the start of the session), but they still rehearse several run-throughs for Thursday's concert. Glyn Johns will ultimately splice the coda from one of these run-throughs to the 'master' take from the 27th - this version will then be used for the single.

In the meantime, the Beatles also rehearse "I've Got A Feeling," "Dig A Pony," "Don't Let Me Down," and "The One After 909," all of which are planned for Thursday's concert. "Don't Let Me Down" goes off so well, one of the outtakes is deemed the 'master' - Glyn Johns will later mix and edit this take for the B-side of "Get Back."

A re-make of "Love Me Do" (a rather wretched one at that) is also recorded. As with most Get Back recordings, it is little more than an impromptu jam - slow and somewhat bluesy - rather than a serious attempt at a modern remake. Paul handles the vocals with John supporting, and although complete at two and a half minutes, it's too rough to be considered for release.

They band also records George's "Old Brown Shoe" a number of times, but it's clearly not ready for release. George will later tape a multi-track demo on February 25th before re-arranging and re-recording "Old Brown Shoe" in mid-April. It will then be released as the B-side to "The Ballad of John and Yoko," which is released on May 30th, 1969. (In the United States, it will be released the following week on June 4th.)

After finishing up with "Old Brown Shoe," John fiddles with a new song, "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." At this stage, it's barely recognizable, but once complete, the basic track is later recorded on February 22nd at Trident Studios, London. After extensive overdubbing in April and August, the track will emerge fully-formed on Abbey Road, which is released in the fall.

George then unveils another new composition called "Something," but it's clearly a work-in-progress. Only a few words have been written, and as he plays it for the group, he struggles with the words. He's given some encouragement (including John's famous advice to use whatever comes to mind, like "cauliflower..."), but they eventually return to "Get Back" and "Two Of Us." Very little time is spent on both, and George tries to rehearse "All Things Must Pass" one more time.

George had lobbied for this song at Twickenham, but it never really gelled despite extensive rehearsal. This time, he tries an arrangement similar to "The Weight," handing a line off to John, then to Paul, and finally to himself before getting to the chorus, which is then sung in three-part harmony. However, they fail to make one serious attempt at this arrangement - they try one take, but it's quickly sabotaged by Paul and John's mocking vocals. George tries singing it alone, but no one pays close attention; not surprisingly, he quickly gives up.

Two Billy Preston demos are also recorded - "Billy's Song (1)" and "Billy's Song (2)" being their only titles - Preston making good use of the four musicians around him. As far as can be ascertained, neither song is ever issued in finished form.

Towards the end of the session, the Beatles discuss whether they should be recording or merely rehearsing, whether they should be filming or not, and whether they should even bother with the project any longer. Ringo is due to begin filming for the movie Magic Christian in just a few days, so the situation seems hopelessly muddled.

Wednesday, January 29, 1969

The Beatles reconvene at Apple Studios at devote themselves to light-hearted rehearsals. After a brief run-through of tomorrow's setlist ("Get Back," "Dig A Pony," "I've Got A Feeling," "Don't Let Me Down," and "The One After 909"), they record "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," "The Long And Winding Road," "For You Blue," "All Things Must Pass," "Let It Down," "Teddy Boy," an extended jam of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," "Something," and "Old Brown Shoe." An impressive list, but a few performances are merely fragments, most of them are highly informal, and none of them are suitable for release.

The Beatles also jam on a number of favorites, including an oldies melody consisting of Duane Eddy's "Cannonball," Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," Dee Clark's "Hey Little Girl (In The High School Sweater)," and Bo Diddley's self-titled hit.

Only one Buddy Holly song ever made it to a Beatles album ("Words Of Love" on 1964's Beatles For Sale), but many of his other songs made it to their live repertoire - a handful of songs were even recorded for the BBC. Years later, Paul would even purchase Buddy Holly's catalog for his own publishing company, MPL Communications.

Always a big influence on the Beatles (their name is a tribute to Holly's band, the Crickets), the band plays four more Holly tunes towards the end of the session: "Maybe Baby," "Peggy Sue Got Married," "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" (with a nice vocal from George), and "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues." A somnolent performance of a relative obscurity, "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" will later be included on The Beatles Anthology 3.

Thursday, January 30, 1969

The Beatles perform their legendary rooftop concert atop Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London. As the clock ticks past noon, George is still only lukewarm towards the idea and Ringo emphatic that he won't participate. It's only the combined force of John and Paul which make it happen.

Several crew members film the audience reaction from the streets. Despite some grumbling of disrupting traffic, many are quite taken by the performance, and some are even interviewed for the film.

The Beatles play for about 42 minutes, about half of which is included in the film, Let It Be. The following is a detailed description of the setlist:

1. Setting-up. Michael Lindsay-Hogg shouts, "All cameras, take one!". The first song is a rehearsal of "Get Back," the end of which is greeted with fairly polite applause which clearly reminds Paul of a cricket match, so he steps back to the microphone and mutters something about Ted Dexter (Sussex and England player of the time). John says, "We've had a request from Martin Luther."

2. Another take of "Get Back." (The Let It Be film has a well-matched edit of these first two "Get Back" performances.) At the end of the song, John says "Had a request for Daisy, Morris and Tommy."

3. "Don't Let Me Down" (Let It Be film), straight into...

4. "I've Got A Feeling" (Let It Be film and Lp), with John saying at the end, "Oh, my soul... [applause]... so hard". (George sings a little on "I've Got A Feeling"; he is otherwise vocally silent during the rooftop performance.)

5. "The One After 909," ending with John sarcastically reciting a line of the 1913 standard "Danny Boy." (Let It Be film and Lp and aborted Get Back Lp.)

6. "Dig A Pony," with a false start ("one, two, three, hold it [John blows nose] one, two, three"). Ends with John saying "Thank you brothers... hands too cold to play the chords." (Let It Be film and Lp, although for the latter producer Phil Spector edited out the song's opening and closing "All I want is" vocal lines.) The eight-track tape also has a brief rehearsal of the song before it began, and John asking for the words. In the film an assistant can be seen kneeling before him with the lyrics attached to a clipboard.

7. Second engineer Alan Parsons has changed tapes, the first one being full. While waiting, the Beatles and Billy Preston have strummed through a quick version of the national anthem, "God Save The Queen." Meanwhile, Mal Evans and the Beatles discuss the police warning about 'disturbing the peace.' The new tape catches a few seconds of this, but it is neither released on record nor seen in the film.

8. "I've Got A Feeling," second rooftop version. (Not released on record or seen in the film.)

9. "Don't Let Me Down," second rooftop version. (Not released on record or seen in the film), straight into...

10. "Get Back," the third rooftop version, somewhat distracted owing to police presence, seeking to bring the show to a close. The song almost breaks down but lurches to a finish, with Paul ad-libbing "You've been playing on the roofs again, and you know your Momma doesn't like it, she's gonna have you arrested!"

At the end Paul acknowledges the fervent applause and cheering from Ringo's wife Maureen with "Thanks, Mo" and then John, having stepped away from the microphone, returns to add, somewhat hammily, "I'd like to say 'thank you' on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition!"

(Paul and John's comments, but not this "Get Back" performance, were included on the unreleased Get Back Lp. The Let It Be Lp employs a crossfade from the January 28 "single" version of "Get Back" to these rooftop ad-libs, implying that the song itself was from the roof performance. The Let It Be film is the only publicly available true recording, with the lurching version of "Get Back" and the closing ad-libs. The Beatles Anthology 3 includes this recording, but fades-out before the closing ad-libs.)

Friday, January 31, 1969

The completion of filming and recording for the Get Back project in Apple Studios, London. Known in some circles as the "Apple Studio Performance", it's the final recording of those numbers unsuitable for the rooftop show. The Beatles set up in stage formation and film/record "Two of Us," "The Long and Winding Road," and "Let It Be" (nine takes). Two takes of "Oh! Darling" are later recorded, but neither one is deemed suitable for use. At one point, Hogg asks them about other songs, like "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," but George and Paul them him that they're not yet ready (i.e. they will not be considered for the album).

"Two Of Us" is given an excellent performance, the best yet, and is later mixed for Let It Be; the same performance is also used in the film (an inferior performance from the 24th is mixed for Get Back, which is ultimately discarded).

Most of the shoot is spent on "The Long And Winding Road." This time, Billy Preston is given an organ solo, and they record several fine takes, the best of which is used for the film. (This take has been mixed several times for film, video, and even CD release, with some mixes removing Paul's humming over Preston's solo.)

"Let It Be" is the final song recorded for the day, but despite some fine performances, no take is deemed suitable 'as nature intended.' One take does emerge as the 'master' take, but it's altered for release. (See below for more details.)

Meanwhile, Billy Preston is signed to Apple Records in his own right. His first Apple album, which begins recording on May 5 at Olympic Sound Studios, will be largely produced by George Harrison and wholly mixed by Glyn Johns.

Ultimately, the group isn't happy with the results of the Get Back sessions. John favors putting it out just as it is: "It'll tell people, 'This is us with our trousers off, so will you please end the game now?'" (When Bob Dylan releases his notorious Self-Portrait album in 1970, some fans will echo John's sentiments in explaining Dylan's reasons for releasing a career-killing album.) Various attempts are made over the next year to find a satisfactory structure for the hours of film and tape made this month, but it’s more than a year before the group is able to agree on a solution. The fact is, the best documented month of their entire career is also their least production and most self-destructive. In the interim, the Beatles will go on to released and record their final album, Abbey Road, before salvaging the remains of Get Back for a new album re-titled Let It Be.

April 30, 1969

A most interesting session at Studio Three of EMI Studios, London, produced by Chris Thomas. Unsatisfied with his guitar solo on "Let It Be," George takes another crack at it and overdubs a new solo on the 'master' take from January 31st. Glyn Johns will use this overdubbed version for his unissued Get Back album, his only deviation from the original live premise. (This solo is later used for the single release.)

---------------------

January 3, 1970

With John away in Denmark, the other Beatles meet in Studio Two of EMI Studios, London, to complete the Get Back tapes (now to be released as Let It Be, the movie and the record). Since the movie shows George playing his song "I Me Mine," the Beatles feel the need to record a decent version for release. Working from 2:30 pm to 12:15 am, the three record 16 takes of the rhythm track (acoustic and bass guitars, drums), then add overdubs (electric piano, electric guitar, lead and backing vocals, an organ and a second acoustic guitar) onto the last of these. The track is 1 min. 34 sec. long, but Phil Spector will re-edit it to be 2 min. 25 sec. long. The original, unedited track is later released on The Beatles Anthology 3.

January 4, 1970

The Beatles meet for the last time in Studio Two of EMI Studios, London. Let It Be was the one song on Get Back which already had an overdub: a guitar solo in the middle-eight section, taped on April 30, 1969. Several more overdubs are recorded in this 2:30 pm-4:00 am session.

The first consists of harmony vocals by George, Paul, and Linda McCartney onto the January 31st, 1969 8-track (interesting since one of Paul's big complaints about Phil Spector's version of "The Long and Winding Road" is the inclusion of female voices in the choir; Paul even states that he would never put female voices on a Beatles recording). This is then given three reduction mixdowns with simultaneous overdubs of two trumpets, two trombones, and a tenor saxophone, arranged by George Martin. A new and more stinging guitar solo by George, drums by Ringo, maracas by Paul, and - right at the end of the song - some more cellos are added onto the 'best' of these.

When Johns mixes "Let It Be" for single release, he omits this day's guitar solo, keeping George's overdub from April 30th, 1969. This single mix will be issued in Britain on Friday, March 6th, 1970.

The album version produced by Phil Spector will utilize this day's new guitar solo, giving the misleading impression that the single and album versions are mixed from two different takes.

All four of the Beatles met in the studio for the last time on August 20th, 1969, but this session remains the final studio appearance for the Beatles, as a group.

January 8, 1970

George Harrison attends a 9:00-1:00 pm session in which Glyn Johns tidies up Get Back by remixing "Let It Be" (used for the single) and "For You Blue," both in stereo. George also adds a vocal overdub to "For You Blue" before it is mixed.
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